Looking Glass
by Suzumehime
Summary: [Side-story] As if leaving behind the one place she'd called home for more than a decade wasn't enough, Noda Akemi, had somehow ended up in a strange world. But the people (and animals) that kept appearing around her certainly looked familiar; from a perceptive owl with his eyes perpetually shut, to a pompous White King (AU; mainly OC centric; subtle hints of romance)
1. Down the rabbit hole

**Hello! If you've stumbled upon this and have never read 'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life', some of the OCs and the main character's relationship with the canon characters from the POT franchise might confuse you. 'Looking Glass' is a side-story to 'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life'; an arc (if you like) between chapter 13 and chapter 14. **

**I would recommend reading the main fanfic up-to chapter 13 if you're interested, but that's all up to you! :) **

**'Looking Glass' is inspired by the themes from 'Alice in the Wonderland', Spirited Away' and 'The Cat Returns'**

* * *

"_On the other side  
of the door opened ajar  
there is a world about to collapse_

_Will morning come?  
Or will it turn into night?  
While I'm confused about it, light become undone"_

_Excerpt from 'Your Silver Garden' by Kajiura Yuki_

XXX

A pair of soft brown eyes stared blankly at the straw-thatched roof above a form that was lying sprawled across a rickety old bed.

The roof had numerous cracks, from which light fell through, revealing the dusts that seemed to dance gracefully in the air, and yet, the small and shabby hut remained dim.

As seconds ticked by, everything came crashing down on Akemi; from the encounter with her doppelganger at the airport to the strange rabbit in the clearing, then finally to the memory-like dream…

XXX

_**(At the airport…)**_

A low blanket of clouds loomed over the coast. Not a single ray of sunshine could penetrate the thick layer, leaving much of the city dull and very grey in its wake.

Adding to this misery, strong winds made it difficult for those unfortunate caught out in the cold drizzle as they struggled to navigate to and fro the airport. Patience was thinning off for the few who were huddled together at the bus stops as they waited for their turns to board, fighting to stay on their feet.

Inside the departure hall, the howling wind was muffled, and the rain lashed noisily against the large observation windows of the terminal, giving a false impression of heavy rain to the weary travellers.

"Dreich," mumbled a gruff voice with a thick Scottish accent.

Her ears perked at the comment. Pausing in the middle of reading, Noda Akemi subtly peered over the top of her book.

Sitting across from her was an elderly man, probably in his late sixties, with strands of wispy white hair peeking out from underneath his Tweed flat cap. Sensing a pair of curious eyes, the man shifted around in his large waterproof jacket to face the sixteen year old girl, who jerked uncomfortably at being caught spying.

Behind the thick book, she bit on her lower lip nervously, inwardly debating on whether to apologise to the man for her blatant rudeness (even though she purely did it out of curiosity), hide behind the book and pretend nothing happened, or simply flee.

She held her breath as the man opened his mouth to speak.

"Where are you heading off to, lass?"

If she could slip off the chair and collapse onto the ground in relief without being questioned on her sanity, she would have done it in a jiffy.

As it were, her shoulders slumped in relief. She warily studied the old man.

She hesitated, feeling her stomach tied into knots as seconds ticked by. He looked harmless, if not, friendly; his eyes twinkled with that kind of passing curiosity.

But it paid to be extra cautious right?

"Japan," she replied briskly into her book, trying to maintain a good eye contact with him out of respect. It was the least she could do.

He must have seen the discomfort in her eyes, for he gave her a warm smile with a slight bob of his head, and turned to the person beside him, a young woman, who was undoubtedly his granddaughter.

Silently thanking him, Akemi brought the book higher up her face.

But after spending a frustrating minute struggling to drown out the noises around her (the wind and rain behind her were no help at all), she closed the book with a sigh of resignation.

She looked up, blinking in surprise at the two empty seats in front of her.

Glancing around the busy terminal, she laid the book on top of her shoulder bag resting on her lap. _'They must have left,' _she mused, stifling a yawn behind her hand. Rubbing her eyes groggily, she lowered her gaze to her watch and frowned at the time which showed 8:06am. _'Bah humbug! Why do we have to choose an early flight of all the –"_

A sudden whistling of the wind made her look over her shoulder. Through the rain-splattered window, lights from the cars, the multi-storey car park opposite the terminal, and street lamps seemed to dance before her eyes. She raised them to the sky, staring at the grey clouds unblinkingly. _'Dreich*… only in Scotland do we have a word for such a miserable weather,' _she remarked with a dry smirk, remembering the old man's word.

"Akemi? It's time to go. They've just put up the gate number."

At the sound of her mother's voice, she tore her eyes away from the bleak view and turned her head around, and did a double take.

She gaped at the sight of the bulging shopping bag Mrs Noda carried in one arm. "Umm…mama? I'm pretty sure papa did not ask for so many souvenirs."

Her father had left with their house cat and dog two weeks before them so that he could complete all the necessary paperwork. Plus, someone needed to furnish the house, and the job fell on Mr Noda. It helped that both her parents had the same tastes. Otherwise, she would be travelling alone. Not that being alone itself was a problem – having grown used to it and all. It was more of having to haul five pieces of luggage half her height from the taxi stop to the check-in counters, and making sure _all_ of them made it to Narita Airport. She didn't want to begin to think what would happen if one of them ended up somewhere halfway across the journey to Japan.

"Sure, he didn't. But I have mine to give away as well," Mrs Noda smiled, patting the carrier bag. "Now come on, before all seats are taken," she beckoned with a wave of her hand. Without seeing if her daughter complied, she turned around and started towards their gate.

Akemi hastily rose to her feet and followed after her mother, dragging her hand luggage behind. She slowed down her pace when she eventually caught up with Mrs Noda.

Brown eyes roamed around the bustling terminal. Even at this ridiculous time of day, the airport was already buzzing with various activities. Anxious travellers rushed past her to catch their flights. There were tourists and locals alike browsing around the many shops, and the baristas getting breakfast orders from customers. As they walked past a café, Akemi gave the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee a deep and appreciative sniff.

Arriving at their gate, it was to find the waiting area was already packed, which meant getting two neighbouring empty seats was equivalent to finding a needle in a haystack. Luckily, they managed to find just one close to the ticket inspection counters.

Mrs Noda, exhausted from the trip to the airport and then hunting the shops for decent souvenirs, plopped down onto the seat with a sigh of content.

"I'll be over there, mama," said Akemi, gesturing towards a corner by the window at the back of the waiting area. There were hardly any people nearby, which suited her perfectly for someone who preferred to be left alone in her own thoughts.

After being given the consent, she wheeled her hand luggage over to the window, and stood with her side leaning against it so that she could keep an eye out for any sign of a queue forming while she admired the view outside.

It hadn't stopped drizzling since early this morning, and the grey clouds looked as if they'd never moved an inch across the sky.

At least the gust had weakened to a soft breeze by now. A good thing, because nobody would like their flights delayed due to strong winds, or for any reasons for that matter.

Arms folded over her stomach with the book grasped loosely in one hand, she rested her head on the cold glass, watching the buses go by below and people, unused to the climate, shivering miserably in their coats.

Looking back, it was one of the coldest and wettest Summer this season. Some may curse it, but growing up in this part of the country, she found the unpredictable weather particularly charming.

The corner of her lips twitched upwards into a wry smile. The grip on the book tightened as she fought down the uneasiness swirling inside her stomach that had been there the moment she woke up two hours ago. Since her father left for Japan, Akemi had become slightly withdrawn, much to the dismay of Mrs Noda.

'_I've decided to do this. There's no turning back now,'_ she sighed irritably.

Yet, she could not stop the dull ache behind her chest where her heart was at the sight of a large billboard adorning the side of the multi-storey car park that was facing the airport.

On it was a picture of the famous Edinburgh Castle. Though she had only been there twice in her lifetime, the castle was a huge landmark in the city, as well as in her heart.

It was the one thing that provided assurance she was at home – a place filled with the familiar sights and sounds that had only started to grow on her since she became more adventurous and less wary of people for the past couple of years. She'd spent whatever time left to roam around the city, committing every nook and cranny to her memory. But there were still so many places in the city and the wider country yet to be explored.

With a heavy heart, she realised it was very uncertain when she could return. Definitely not in the next two years or so; their new house and shipping all of their belongings (not including furniture) cost them a fortune, not to mention insurance and all. Anyway, she would probably be too busy with schoolwork to think of going on holiday abroad.

A mixture of excitement and anxiety bubbled inside her at that thought. When her parents asked if she would like to enrol into a private school in Kanagawa, she had been reluctant to give a straight out answer and begged for more time to mull it over. Her parents had been very understanding. No doubt, they had expected it.

Her brown eyes glinted with amusement, recalling the look of utmost surprise on their faces when she walked back into the living room only an hour later with a yes. What they didn't know was that it had taken every ounce of her wit to make that firm decision. She might have torn a big hole in the carpeted floor from the constant pacing, but perhaps it – she would know when the right time came – was worth the scolding for ruining a nice carpet.

"Passengers with small children are allowed to board the plane first. Please ready your boarding pass and passport for inspection. Thank you," a smooth voice announced over the speakers, eliciting a few sighs and murmurs of relief.

Like them, she was getting slightly agitated from all the waiting, and very eager to get on the plane. Though a quick glance over at the queue forming in front of the counters, 'very eager' might just be a little bit of an understatement.

Despite families with small children were given priorities over the rest of the passengers, there were a number of grownups either alone or in small groups at the back of the slowly moving line.

Gesturing at her mother to stay in her seat, Akemi heaved herself off the window, grabbed the luggage's handle and was about to put one foot out when she was alerted to the sound of someone coming this way by the pitter-patter of feet and girlish giggles.

At a blink of an eye, a little girl suddenly slipped onto the floor, falling on her hands and knees with a cry of surprise.

Recovering from the shock, Akemi made to rush towards her, but halted in her steps when a boy, who looked slightly older than the girl, beat her to it.

"I've told you not to run!" the boy firmly but gently admonished, hastily helping the sobbing girl to her feet.

"Ahm thowie!" wailed the girl, her voice thick from all the emotions. She rubbed her eyes furiously as crocodile tears rolled down her rosy cheeks. "Ahm tho thowie, omee-chan!" she flung her little arms around the boy, locking him in a tight embrace, and nearly throwing him off his feet in the process.

A good head taller than his sister, the boy patted the back of her head awkwardly, muttering comforting words into the long curtain of black hair as she sobbed uncontrollably into the front of his T-shirt.

A glimpse of movement out from the corner of his eyes made him look up sharply. He tightened his hold around the girl protectively, narrowing his eyes at the approaching stranger.

Akemi sent him a warm smile, silently assuring him that she was no baddie. Keeping one hand on the luggage while clutching the book to her chest with the other, she knelt down before the two siblings, keeping a small distance between them so as not to frighten any of the two. She studied the younglings closely, estimating their age to be around six to seven years of age.

He glared warningly at her, failing to appear intimidating much to his chagrin, if the flushed cheeks were of any indication.

Something about the way he narrowed his eyes struck a chord. Seconds later, she shook it off as a passer-by from the streets, assuming her subconscious mind might have retained the image of his face.

Shifting her gaze to the little girl, she asked, "Are you hurt?"

The sobbing immediately stopped. After a moment of awkward silence, she slowly lifted her head slightly above her brother's arms.

Akemi caught a glimpse of her eyes, bloodshot from all the crying, before the girl shoved her head back into her hiding place. She raised an eyebrow. _'Those brown eyes, they look so familiar, even more so than the brother's – but why? ' _

Sniffing, the girl mutely turned her head from side to side.

"Good," the older girl smiled in relief. "Now, why don't you smile for me?" she gently prodded, grinning encouragingly at her.

It was an old tactic the elderly Mackenzies used when she was feeling down. Gosh, she missed them so much. The elderly couple said their goodbyes at the train station a couple of days ago. A pity, because she would very much like to see them today. Unfortunately, they had long bought the train tickets in anticipation of a weeklong stay with their children and grandchildren down in Liverpool, and cancelling the tickets was way out of the question.

Hesitating, the little girl leaned in closer to her brother, but seeing that the older girl was unwilling to back down, she eventually pulled away and smiled shyly at her.

The book fell onto the floor with a clatter.

She crouched there, frozen in her spot, with her mouth agape and eyes the size of platters.

There was no doubt about it. Akemi had seen a few pictures of it adorning the mantelpiece in her old home's living room before they were taken down, packed into boxes and shipped to Japan.

The little girl cocked her head, wondering why she had suddenly gone mute. "Are you okay?"

Tentatively, she picked up her book and heaved herself upright. That alone seemed to take an eternity as her mind tried to come up with a logical solution. "Please tell me this is a bad joke," she whispered hoarsely, never tearing her eyes off the face of her six year old self.

Her mother's voice seemed to be calling her name from a distance. But it wasn't until a hand grabbed her wrist did she snap out of the trance.

"Come on! Before the plane leaves without us," Mrs Noda said exasperatedly, pulling her daughter along towards the ticket inspectors.

Akemi glanced over her shoulder.

Where the siblings stood not a second ago was now an empty spot.

XXX

Resting her head against the oval window, Akemi watched the rain water trickling down its surface with mild fascination.

She hardly gave the retreating view of her beloved city a glance. No longer could she call it home, not when she's already on the plane and en route to London for their connecting flight to Tokyo.

Since waking up this morning, her mind had been in a turmoil, and with the strange encounter with her (presumably) doppelganger, it was (to be nicely) now in a mess.

At the sound of a thump, Mrs Noda shifted her gaze from the inflight magazine to her daughter who sat beside her. Noticing the scowl on her daughter's face, she placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright, Akemi? You've been awfully quiet since we got on the plane," she asked, worriedly.

Akemi briefly glanced at her mother then back at the view outside. She shook her head wordlessly, causing her mother to sigh in exasperation.

The weight from her shoulder vanished, only to reappear deep inside her at the disheartened way her mother was flipping through the pages.

The guilt she felt was small, but heavy at the same time. It was a habit, born out of the desire to disburden her parents, who already had their hands full with their jobs and keeping up with the bills and taxes, from the one thing she could deal by herself, though it took her years to find the right solution.

As they journeyed on southwards, she felt the knot in the pits of her stomach tightened. She could feel it coursing through her veins. There was a mixture of anxiety, fear and excitement of the prospect of living in Japan. She had never been there before despite her parents' origins, and after a moment of reflection, she was actually excited about it.

But a few times, her mind wandered back to the encounter at the airport, only fear infected her mind like the plague. Once she lingered on the subject for far too long, Akemi couldn't take it anymore and hastily excused herself to use the lavatory.

Once back, she closed her eyes, hoping the worries would go away in her sleep.

Rolling onto her side, an image of the way the siblings held onto each other brought a bittersweet smile to her face. _'I wonder if my life would be the same if I have a sibling of my own –though I'm not really complaining about being the only child – sibling rivalry and all that jazz.' _

XXX

"_Senpai?"_

"_It's best to leave her alone when she's asleep." _

Akemi woke up with a start, and shot straight up on the grass, blinking several times before glancing around this new environment.

She was in a clearing with a lone ancient-looking tree in the middle. Like the ones on the edge of the clearing, it towered over her head, making her feel tiny. The leaves were evergreen like the thin blades of grass protruding from the soil. Moses grew on the trunks and rocks that were scattered across the ground. Streams of sunlight burst through the tiny gaps in the canopies, bathing the ground and giving the clearing an eerie and almost magical feel.

As seconds turned to minutes, Akemi realised that no longer was she on the plane.

"Whe-where am I?" she whispered. "Did I knock my head against the window a little bit too hard in my sleep?" She leapt to her feet and started pacing, muttering incomprehensible words under breath. "That's right! This is just a dream!" she abruptly stopped. Then without a second thought, she slapped both her cheeks really hard, regretting it soon after. "Ouch!"

Rubbing her hands against the spots where it stung terribly, she glanced around to see nothing had changed. Then something caught her eyes.

Blinking rapidly, she stared in puzzlement at a light grey rabbit that had hopped into the clearing. It was sniffing at a hollow hidden amidst the thick roots of the lone tree and emitting a series of curious noises.

"Puri! Puri! Puri!" it seemed to squeak, turning its back to her as it shoved its head deeper into the hollow.

She felt her eyebrows rising at the sight of the curious ponytail sticking out from the back of its head to the base of where the neck might be. It was wearing a pair of fancy-looking gold earring on its fluffy ears.

The rabbit seemed to be struggling as it squeezed the rest of its body between the roots. With a final squeak, it completely vanished into the hollow.

After spending a long time debating with her inner mind, she cautiously tiptoed her way towards the tree, feeling the curiosity growing inside her with each step she took.

Akemi carefully knelt down on the blanket of moss before the roots.

"Where did it go?" she asked no one in particular, frowning into hollow. It was pitch black in there.

So engrossed in finding for a sign of life, she was unaware of the fact her knees were slowly sinking into the moss.

Suddenly, she straightened her back and cast the hollow a suspicious look.

The rabbit and the hollow in the tree reminded her of the story she once read.

Chuckling dryly, she shook her head. "Oh no, there is no way am I going to follow a rabbit down a hooooooooolllllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

A loud cracking sound, and for a moment, her screams echoed throughout the clearing when the moss caved in. As the noise started to fade away, a soft cackle joined in before silence reigned in the clearing once more.

XXX

_Underneath a great oak tree, there was a little girl, who only turned seven a few days ago. She had a pair of soft brown eyes and a curtain of black hair that was wavy towards the end and reached all the way down to her waist. _

_The dress she wore was equally black with gold embroidery on the sleeves, surcoat and hem of the skirt. The smooth fabric and intricately designed embroidery spoke of nobility. On her left wrist, a silver bracelet glinted in the light cast by the setting sun, and upon her head, she wore a flower crown made from all the different summer flowers that grew at the base of the great oak. _

_A soft giggle escaped through her parted lips as she twirled around on her spot, holding a similar flower crown in her small hands high above her head as though celebrating a victory. Her floor-length skirt fluttered with her movements that were jerky, but she cared not for the importance of being graceful…or the fact she was humming out of tune to a song. _

"_Akemi!" a voice called. _

_The girl immediately stopped dancing and spun on her heels. She gasped in delight. _

_There, standing tall and proud, was her most favourite in the whole Otherworld. Like her, he had black hair and brown eyes, albeit in a darker shade, and wore black attire with sophisticated gold trimmings. A wooden sword was strapped to the leather belt around his waist. _

"_Oni-chan!" she greeted, darting towards him with arms outstretched beside her. Her brother nearly fell onto his bottom if had he not steeled himself for the incoming bear hug. "How was training?" _

"_Hello there," he chuckled, tousling his sister's hair affectionately without ruining the flower crown on her head. "Training went well. What have you been up to while I was away?" _

_She stepped away from him and held out the other flower crown to him. "Yuki-kun sent me an instruction for making flower crowns. His drawings are amazing! I understood the steps straightaway – and there were no words at all!"_

_He cocked an eyebrow. "Oh? Let me see it." He took the flower crown from her hands and studied it closely with a sceptical expression._

"_Well?" she pressed her hands together, grinning excitedly. _

"_Hmm…not bad, but it could use a lot more work."_

_A scowl crossed her features as she puffed her cheeks out with an indignant huff. "I spent the whole day on them! Meanie!" _

_Her brother broke off from laughing when the flower crown was roughly shoved onto his head. "Hey!" _

"_Divine punishment!" She stuck her tongue out then giggled at the sight of her brother struggling to get the flower crown out of his hair. _

"_You think it's funny?" Eyes glinting mischievously, he lowered his hands and curled his fingers into claws. "Come here, you!" he roared. _

_Squealing, she turned tail and fled from her brother who immediately gave chase. _

XXX

_**(Present)**_

She groggily sat up with a groan.

Realising there was something soft underneath her hands, she glanced down. It was nothing more than a tattered mattress. There were bits of straw everywhere and a few splinters, possibly when that wooden beam had collapsed right onto what was used to be a table right in the middle of the room.

What appeared to be a moth-eaten bed sheet and thin blanket, the colours long faded away, were shoved into a corner next to the wall. Along with the mattress, they were covered with dust and cobwebs, something which she found out from a sneeze after running a finger across the surface a little bit too quickly.

A glint of light made her look down just as she was about to move her hand away from her nose, and felt her eyebrows sprang up.

She placed her hand under a beam of light and slowly turned it around in several different angles. Where her watch used to be, a silver bracelet now glinted back at her. On closer inspection, the bracelet was in fact elaborately designed using Fleur-delis motifs carved onto the surface and encrusted with teardrops of Labradorite between the motifs.

"This is beautiful," she whispered appreciatively, stretching her hand away so that she could admire it from far. Then, quite abruptly, she withdrew her hand, gripping the bracelet. "Wait a minute! When did it –why is the bracelet on my wrist!?" she fretted, panicking when she couldn't remove it no matter how hard she tried.

No mistake, this was the very same silver bracelet the little girl from that strange dream wore. _'But why did it feel more like a memory?' _pondered Akemi, pressing her other hand to the spot where she could feel a dull hammering against her skull. _'This is a dream, right?' _

But even then, she was very uncertain if this was all a dream, or perhaps she had fallen into a parallel universe.

After a while, she dropped her hand to her lap with a sigh. Her eyes glazed over as she recalled the vivid dream with the siblings.

"Akemi…her name was Akemi," she whispered, scratching the back of her head. "She and her brother looked just like the siblings from the airport, but in different clothes. Were those Edwardian? Medieval? Georgian?" She's always been terrible in history, regardless of how much effort she'd put in the subject. It was like it hated her. Then, her features lit up. "Lord of the Rings! That's it! Nooo! That's not important right now!"

Ignoring the existence of dust, she hastily shuffled out of the bed and stood up. The floorboards creaked the moment her feet touched the ground, nearly sending her ten feet into the air in fright.

Breathing deeply to calm her poor heart, Akemi cautiously made her way towards the door. Her feet slowed to a stop, one hand hovering an inch before it. She flicked a nervous glance at the rusty hinges that were hanging off the side of the door frame. A few moments of hesitation later, she tentatively placed her hand against the door and gave it a gentle push.

Shielding her eyes against the light, she swung the door opened enough to brighten up the ghostly interior of the hut.

"Another woods?" she exhaled wearily, giving the trees around the hut a flat look. "This dream is getting too repetitive for my liking."

She paused at the doorway to give the inside another quick glance. All in all, the hut looked abandoned a long time ago, by a person who either lived here temporarily or preferred a simple lifestyle.

'_Or maybe they left in a hurry because of something...' _she shuddered at such morbid speculation. She immediately shook it off.

There were signs of it everywhere, and not just the thick layers of dust and cobweb covering every inch of the hut.

Grass stuck out between the floorboards, some of which was broken up into fragments by emerging roots. Crockeries, strewn across the floor, probably used to rest on the table before the beam collapsed. The hut was only fitted with three pieces of furniture: the demolished table, the dust-infested bed, and a lone stool. There was a cobweb attached to one of its legs, but apart from that, the stool seemed to be the only part of the hut that had withstood the test of time.

As she studied the place a second time, her eyes caught something on the floor beside the roof beam.

"What's this?" she whispered, bending down to pick up the dust covered book.

Holding the book far away from her face, she turned halfway around and banged it against the door frame. When she was certain the last of the cloud of dust had dissipated, she headed outside but stayed within a foot of radius from the hut, and leant her back against a tree.

She brushed her hand across the smooth cover, feeling the curves of the crisscrossing pattern underneath her fingers. They were engraved along all four sides of the book into borders. A large emblem, resembling a sunflower, sat in the centre, with unfamiliar inscriptions etched into the banner below.

Despite the yellowing pages and worn leather, the silver lock with a crescent-shaped dent was extremely sturdy, as she found out after a couple of failed attempts trying to get the book to open.

"Never judge a book by its cover indeed," she snorted, rolling her eyes at the irony. "Whoever made this sure is very good at their trade," she muttered, scrutinising the border closely.

"Who?"

"The one who made this book; it's definitely handcrafted."

"Who?"

One of her eyebrows twitched irritably. "Really? Do you want me to repeat myself?"

"Who?"

It suddenly dawned on her that she was not alone anymore.

She spun on her heels, dropping the book when she leapt back with a cry.

"Who?" repeated the owl; it was dangling upside-down from an overhead branch.

"Oh my goodness, you scared me!" Akemi gasped, holding one hand over her pounding heart.

The owl cocked its head, though its eyes were closed (she was uncertain as to why), it appeared to be bemused by either her appearance or the outburst (or both).

Feeling calmer, she vented a sigh and placed her hands on her hips. "What are you a bat-owl?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at the bird.

She broke off from her train of thoughts, noticing its wings were ensnared amongst the leaves and twigs. Without a second thought, she briskly stepped closer to the bird, stood on her toes and started to work her way to free the poor bird. "How on Earth did you get in there?" she muttered, careful not to hurt the owl as she extracted a twig from its impressive feathers.

Now that the previous shock was gone, she was amazed at how tame the bird was. Even if it was very well trained by a falconer, wouldn't it try to get hostile with strangers?

'_And why won't it open its eyes?' _she pondered, chewing on her bottom lips as she examined a rather stubborn twig with a scowl. Then, an idea popped up in her head. "Hang in there. I'll be right back," she told the owl, briskly (not that she expected it to reply).

But she couldn't help but think it had nodded at her as she turned around and dashed back into the hut.

To her dismay, she found nothing while searching every inch of the hut. She went through the remains of the table and wooden beam, the floor and the crockeries; though she did find a dark green travelling cloak while looking underneath the bed.

She paused in her search to sweep off the dust and cobwebs using her hands. _'Looks brand new,' _she observed, holding the cloak out in front of her. After satisfied with her inspection, she folded the cloak neatly on her lap, placed it on top of the stool, and sat back with one hand gripping her chin as she studied the bed.

On a whim, she lifted one end of the mattress up and felt her eyebrows sprang up. She readjusted her grip on the mattress to prop it up with one hand, and used her vacant one to reach into the gap between bed and mattress.

The heavy weight initially caught her off guard as she withdrew her arm from the mattress, revealing a silver dagger that had been hidden underneath there for goodness-how-long.

"I'm beginning to wonder who used to live here," whispered Akemi, holding the weapon gingerly between her fingers as she examined the ornate sheath and cross-hilt closely. There was that sunflower emblem again, this time, fashioned from a yellow imperial topaz that was set into the pommel. _'A noble who ran away? Or exiled to this part of the woods? A thief?_ _Hmm…hopefully not the latter,' _she mentally added.

She gripped the sheath and handle together, slowly drew the dagger out and held it up in front of her, with the tip of the blade pointing upwards. Curious, she brought the dagger side by side with her left arm. It was about the same length as her lower arm and hand put together.

"Right, this will do perfectly," she grinned in satisfaction. She returned to the outdoors with the dagger, leaving the sheath behind.

The owl appeared to be getting increasingly nervous with each step she took.

She glanced down at the dagger in her hand, finally understanding why the owl was reacting that way. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you," she tried to assure the bird. Raising the pointed end to the stubborn twig, she added, "Try not to move, okay?"

Again, she didn't expect the owl to understand her, but somehow – perhaps by pure luck – the owl remained very still as she carefully cut away the remaining twigs.

"This dream is getting weirder and weirder," she muttered. After managing to liberate one of its wings, she repeated the same method with the other. "First, the rabbit with the gold earrings, then the hollow, the hut –and now an owl," she paused to give said owl a sceptical look.

It was watching her with great interest. But as soon as she caught it staring at her, the owl turned his head pointedly away as though pretending nothing happened. With a shake of her head, she resumed cutting the twigs.

It was definitely quicker than working with bare hands, as she found out (much to her annoyance) a minute later when the owl was finally freed from its woody imprisonment.

Akemi stumbled away from the branch, keeping the pointy end of the blade well away from her, as it sprang back into its original position.

The owl flapped its magnificent wings a few times in the air before perching itself on one of the tree's roots.

She smiled, watching the bird preened its wings with a mixture of amazement and relief. The bird seemed to have escaped its ordeal relatively unscathed.

Careful not the spook it, she gently placed the dagger flatly on the ground and bent her knees into a crouch, causing the owl to snap its head up.

It cocked its head to one side, studying her through its closed eyes, almost contemplatively. It hopped a little closer to her, and stooped on its talons into a bow, one wing folded over its chest while holding the other out beside it. The owl opened its beak.

"Thank you for freeing me, your Highness. I am forever in your debt." Maintaining the bow, it raised its head to the face that had gone as pale as sheet, and added, "But for future references, I am actually an eagle-owl."

The bird remained impassive even when a flabbergasted Akemi tumbled onto her bottom and scrambled on her hands, elbows, and whatever she could use to get away from it.

Her mouth opened and closed several times, seemingly lost the ability to speak.

It – no, he – left the perch in a rustle of feathers and reappeared beside her. "Are you feeling alright, your Highness?" the owl enquired curiously, startling her from the stupor.

"Y-you t-talk!" she stuttered, pointing at the owl with a trembling finger.

"Well, I definitely did not sing my thanks," he remarked, as matter-of-factly.

"You talk!" she went on as though he did not speak. "B-but you're an owl! H-how?" She dropped her head into her hands with a groan. Then, it hit her. "Wait…did you call me 'your Highness'?" she asked, dubiously.

He bobbed his head, though he was wearing a puzzled look.

For some weird reason or the other, the expression on his face felt a bit familiar to Akemi, but she couldn't begin to understand why. "This is a really crazy dream," she muttered under her breath, massaging the spot between her eyes.

But, being in close range, the owl had overheard every single word. "Forgive me for prying, but why do you keep saying this is a dream?"

"Do you really want to know?" she vented a sigh. She propped up her elbow on a knee and laid her head on her hand. Her eyes glazed over as she stared ahead.

"I have all day."

She chewed on her lips, mulling over his request. '_Where's the harm in it? He's only an owl – well, a talking owl,' _she shifted her gaze to the bird.

As soon as she had finished recounting everything she could remember (including the memory-like dream), Akemi's mouth was dry from all the non-stop talking, but there was a liberating sensation inside her as though a great burden was lifted away.

She watched as the bird took her words in, holding one wing underneath its beak in the same manner as a human would grip its chin in thoughts.

"Interesting," he finally uttered, raising his head to her. "I'm not entirely sure about this 'airport' business – or that strange outfit you're wearing –" Akemi briefly glanced down at her cream coloured Peter Pan collar shirt and maroon knee-length skirt, then back at the owl "– but I'm sorry to say this isn't a dream."

"Wh-what do you – Oww!" She snatched her hand away and held it to her chest, rubbing the spot where the owl had not so softly nibbled. "What was that for?" she demanded hotly.

"It hurt didn't it?"

A death glare was the answer, but the anger was gradually replaced by fear.

Akemi lowered her eyes. "If this isn't a dream, then where am I?" she whispered despondently, almost whimpering at that thought. She shook her head fervently; she would not cry.

"The Empire of Samhradh."

"Samhradh*?" she echoed in a surprised manner, glancing up at him. _'Where have I heard that name before?' _

"That's right," the owl nodded, wearing a hopeful expression. "Do you remember it now?"

She pressed a hand to the side of her face, humming. A frown appeared on her forehead. "No, I'm afraid not."

The owl opened its beak and sighed disappointingly. "Samhradh is – was – a prosperous empire ruled by your brother, the Black Emperor – Genichiro the Steadfast."

One of her eyebrows was raised in an arch. "Umm…I don't have a brother, or any siblings for that matter."

"That bracelet on your wrist, that dagger and book with the Royal Emblem over there," he gestured at the aforementioned items with his wing. "These are pure evidences which verify your identity. I wasn't convinced at first, but when I saw the bracelet on your wrist, I have no doubt you're the one I've been looking for."

"Why is the bracelet so special that you are very certain of your claim?"

"It is a very unique accessory – try pulling it out for starters."

She eyed the owl sceptically for a brief moment before carrying out his request. Like before, the bracelet remained firmly in place and refused to move an inch like it was glued to her wrist.

In the end, she conceded with a sigh. "Tell me, apart from being absolutely stubborn, why is it 'very unique.'"

"Only two were ever made – one of which is owned by the Emperor's sister."

"And you called me 'your Highness' because?" she prodded in a bored tone, already knowing the answer.

"You're _the _Emperor's sister, Sanada Akemi; better known as Princess Akemi."

She snorted in an unladylike manner, startling the owl, and shuffled onto her feet. Mind in a daze, she staggered towards her tree, not bothering to reign in her tumult of emotions as the images of the siblings at the airport and then the memory-like dream flashed before her eyes.

"I am _not_ a princess. And my surname isn't 'Sanada'. It's 'Noda'." She dropped onto her hands and knees just in front of the dagger and book. "'No' – not 'Sana'!" Her whole body shook violently as she bit back the tears. "I just want to go home," she whimpered meekly.

There was a flutter of wings as though the owl took off and flew into the hut. By the time, he re-emerged from the door carrying the dagger's sheath between its talons and the travelling cloak in its beak, Akemi had calmed down a little.

She blinked in surprise when the travelling cloak was dropped onto her back. The hood fell over her head and shoulders perfectly as though it was made for her.

"Regardless of who you are, it isn't safe to linger around this place much longer," said the owl, using his talons to hastily push the dagger back into its sheath. "The fact I could find this hut meant we're in danger of getting caught."

"Caught? By who?" she asked slowly, eyeing the owl suspiciously as she pulled the hood off and fastened the chain clasp. She took the offered sheathed dagger and book from his beak.

"I'll explain _after_ we leave this place."

"L-leave?"

There was a pause, and then –

"Don't let me use the talons."

She glared at the blatant threat. "I have the dagger you gave me – hey!"

Akemi sprang up from the ground, throwing her arms over her face when he swiped one of his sharp talons at her.

It missed, but that didn't stop the owl. It swiftly took the sky and began to chase her away from the hut, the leather book in its beak, flexing its talons warningly when she did so much as falter.

When he was sure they were well away from the hut, he stopped trying to terrorise her. Dropping the book by her feet, he flew up a tree and disappeared into the leaves.

"G-good riddance," she panted, clutching her knees. "Go and get stuck in the tree. See if I care." She made to turn around, but stopped when (to her disappointment) he returned with a curious item in his beak.

She shrunk back a little as he glided down.

The owl seemed to have noticed, for he looked almost apologetic as he hovered before her, keeping a distance as though wanting her to understand that he meant no harm (despite what happened earlier).

"Take this. The emperor gave it to the princess on her thirteenth birthday. It's a talisman that will warn you if mystical creatures that pose a threat are near."

Dangling from the silver chain was a pendant, shaped into a crescent moon with a large turquoise embedded onto the front. The Royal Emblem was carved into the precious stone.

Akemi hesitated, sceptical about the magical properties and the supposed mystical creatures (_'Then again there's a talking owl right in front of me'_). But if this was no dream surely she should just go for it? Maybe she could find a way home along the way?

"Why should I trust you? For all I know, you could be one of them, and you're just luring me into a trap," she pointed out, eyeing the owl warily.

The owl seemed to slump his shoulders, after a moment of deliberation, he flew past her to perch on a low-hanging branch. He gently set the pendant down such that it was hanging from one of his talons, and unexpectedly bowed lowly, taking her by surprise.

"Pardon for the late introduction," he said in a formal tone. "My name is Nagi; Royal Adviser to the Emperor of Samhradh and guardian to the Princess. Tis' I swear on pain of death," he added the latter, folding his wing over his chest and pointing the other towards the sky.

"You're a Royal Adviser?" she gawked at the feathered creature before her.

"On pain of death," he repeated briskly, wagging his raised wing.

"And the Princess' guardian?"

"I have sworn before the Emperor to watch over you – the Princess –" he hastily amended upon receiving the death glare from Akemi "– until the time comes to give her away."

He bent down to pick up the necklace and glided down from the branch. Hovering in the air, he held out the talisman as she pondered over it. Alas, she tentatively took the necklace from him and placed the pendant on her opened palm. She jumped with a cry of surprise when Nagi decided to land on her shoulder.

"Sorry," he muttered with a hint of amusement, unperturbed by the death glare.

She gave him a warning look before turning her attention back to the turquoise pendant. It was at that moment, she realised the pendant was in fact a locket. With delicate fingers, she pried it open and felt her lower jaw dropped.

(_'Maybe I should have shown it to her earlier. Would have made my life easier,' _he mentally sighed.)

Whoever drew them must either be ridiculously skilled or just have all the time in the world – could be a mix of both too.

Sketched using graphite pencils, the two small portraits could still be clearly seen despite the cracks on the glass compartments.

The one on the left, which caught her eyes the moment she opened the locket, was herself. In the portrait, she was drawn to be smiling warmly at the other person in the next compartment. He looked like a teenage version, or possibly older, of the little boy from the airport and memory-like dream, except he appeared more dignified and very serious, if not stern. But there was a subtle hint of discomfort in his eyes, almost as though the artist purposely added that trivial detail there, as he gazed protectively back at his sister.

She ran a thumb over the glass, frowning at the portraits "It doesn't make any sense at all," she whispered, finally looking up from the locket. "Unless she's my long lost twin –"

"There are no records of any other siblings – lost or adopted," he interjected smoothly.

"But, I'm not from the Empire of Samhradh, or this world for that matter." She stared blankly at the sky, noticing it was getting darker by the minute.

Nagi studied the girl closely with a solemn expression. _'The Great Oak's prophecy was right again. Now I shudder to think what lies ahead for her – and for every living being – in the days to come.'_

"– Nagi-kun!"

Startled from his thoughts, the owl jerked with a start, only realising Akemi was flipping through the book at great speed. He cleared his throat. "Sorry, you were saying?"

Venting a sigh of irritation, she slammed the book shut, missing the look of disappointment on Nagi's feathered face. Everything written in there was gibberish to her. "If we manage to find the real princess, in return, will you help me find a way back to my world?" The lock device made a sharp click when she extracted the locket out. She swung the necklace over her head, the locket falling perfectly over her chest.

"You still don't believe me after all the explanations?" he asked, sounding a little bit hurt.

She chewed on her bottom lip. Everything was too unreal despite all the facts pointing away from her assumption this was all but a dream, and going back to the vivid dream with the siblings at the great oak tree, that again felt more like a small figment of memory. Then what was it to say she's _not _the Princess?

"I honestly don't know what to think," she finally said in a soft whisper, hugging the book to her stomach as she rocked back and forth on her heels. She blinked, remembering something important. "Say…you haven't exactly explained why we have to leave the hut," she curiously enquired.

"Walk and I'll explain everything to you. We've lingered too long."

"Walk? To where?"

"Anywhere – and I'll give you the full details in a minute."

"You promise?"

Nagi exhaled warily, and held his wings in the same posture as when he introduced himself. "On pain of death."

Akemi begrudgingly complied, tucking the book underneath her arm. She can sense him struggling with his inner mind as they moved deeper into the woods. At one point, she discovered a nifty place to store the dagger within the folds of the travelling cloak. It was sewn into a convenient place such that she could quickly draw it out with ease. But, with a gulp, she hoped she wouldn't have to use it on anyone – good or bad.

She paused at an opening beside a cliff. Curious, she walked over to the edge, careful not to step on any loose rocks. Falling to her death was a big no-no.

As far as her eyes could see, the woods seemed endless, stretching from the bottom of the cliff to the horizon where she could see the setting sun.

Despite the breathtaking view, there was a kind of eerily tranquil aura in the air, almost as if the woods were hiding something sinister, and she was soon to find out why.

"Since the disappearance of both the Princess and the Emperor over a year ago, Samhradh has fallen much without a monarch. Many nobles and civilians have fled to other kingdoms. This empire is pretty much empty now, save for the odd civilians, who either can't afford or are too weak to leave their homes.

But not all who remained are good. There are the occasional bandits who would ransack abandoned villages and towns, exploit the lands for games, and sell anything they could find on black market. With the severe lack of humans around, the animals thrive excellently, especially in this part of the woods."

"Including you."

"Including –" Nagi broke off abruptly in cold sweat.

Akemi stifled a giggle behind her hand.

He cleared his throat and rustled his wings. "I'm glad the possibility of me ending up as someone's food or clothing is a source of entertainment for you," he remarked evenly.

"Sorry," she smiled apologetically. "I can take care of the bandits if that's what you're worrying about," she cracked her knuckles.

At that, he titled his head to one side. "Even if they're armed?"

Her stance faltered. Though she prided herself in Karate, Akemi had never dealt with armed situation, and hoped never would. "I'll think about it when that happens," she chuckled sheepishly, scratching the back of her head.

"That's all good to hear, but I'm afraid there's something bigger and far more dangerous than all the bandits put together."

"Please tell me, there are no mountain trolls," she interjected with a look of utter horror.

"…I'll ask what those are another day (Akemi raised an eyebrow). Even if you are _the _Princess Akemi or not, the fact that you resemble her puts you in grave danger."

"Why?"

"The Red Queen, ruler of the neighbouring Kingdom of Foghar*, has already claimed the eastern border of the empire as hers," he gestured towards the setting sun with one wing, "Recently, her army has successfully captured the capital city where the royal palace resides, and it won't be long until she orders them to move into this part of the land."

"But I don't understand why this has anything to do with me resembling the Princess."

"There is only one assumption, and only after overhearing a discussion among the Queen's soldiers, am I certain of it…" he trailed off, hesitating.

Akemi didn't like the grim expression one bit.

He took a deep breath and said, "The Red Queen has decreed for the capture of both the Emperor and Princess – dead or alive."

* * *

**References:**

***Dreich (Old Scots Origin) = A combination of dull, overcast, drizzly, cold, misty and miserable weather. At least 4 of the above adjectives must apply before the weather is truly dreich. (Credits to Urban Dictionary)**

***Akemi's birthplace is Edinburgh, Scotland. **

***Samhradh = Summer (Scots Gaelic)  
**

***Foghar = Autumn (Scots Gaelic)  
**

**(Credits to English-Scots Gaelic translation websites: lexilogos and glosbe)**

**Cameos/roles explained:**

**Nagi = Yanagi  
**

**The Black Emperor = Sanada**

**ooo**

**'Your Silver Garden' or ('Kimi no gin no niwa') is actually the ending theme song of Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Rebellion Story. It's performed by Kalafina, and composed by Kajiura Yuki. I find this section of the song very apt for this chapter, so stuck it to the top. Also, props to PMMM wikia for the translated lyrics.**

**I don't speak Scots Gaelic - never learned it - so I apologise if I got 'Samhradh' and 'Foghar' wrong. I thought it will be nice to romanticise the words 'Summer' and 'Winter' using Scots Gaelic *sheepish laugh***

**There's no 'Black King' in addition to 'Red Queen', 'Queen of Hearts' etc. in the original version of Alice in the Wonderland, so I just made this up. But renamed 'Black King' to 'Black Emperor' instead since Sanada is known as the Emperor. **


	2. The Black Bear

**References:****Samhradh = Summer; Foghar = Autumn; Geamhradh = Winter; Earrach = Spring. **

* * *

_"In the room __the dream kept singing a tender song __to you the entire time._

_What is truth? __I chase after __the most believable world"_

_Excerpt from 'Your Silver Garden', by Kajiura Yuki_

XXX

"_Since the arrival of the Red Queen's army in Samhradh, this land has been tainted with something dark and sinister. It is very faint, but I can feel it in my roots, and it is growing stronger each day." _

"_Black magic?" Nagi said without missing a beat. _

"_My guess is as good as yours." _

_The owl fell into a pensive silence. He had only overheard a rumour. Based on meagre accounts, those who were either foolish or brave enough to venture close to the enemy's camp always came back looking absolutely disturbed by what they saw. 'Not human' they would whisper if they were able to use their voices at all. _

"_Until I see it for myself, I can hardly believe it myself."_

"_Always the logical one," the Great Oak chuckled. "Tell me, apart from catching up with this old tree – why have you returned to the palace? I sense a question burning inside you."_

_The owl drew a long sigh. "The Emperor and the Princess." _

"_Ah yes, it's been a year since they went missing. A bit odd – don't you think?" _

"_They disappeared around the same time Foghar regained a monarch three decades since the entire royal family perished from the same unknown illness that had claimed so many lives in Foghar. It is selfish thinking, but I'm glad the other three kingdoms were not affected." _

"_Sadly, there are many things that are out of our control."_

"_That's what worries me. Without a monarch, Samhradh is already vulnerable to attacks. Look what's happening now." He gestured vaguely at the palace wall surrounding the vast court yard. "The eastern border and city have been taken. Our troops have either been captured or fled to who-knows-where. Even the Emperor's own regiment suffered great defeat by the Queen's army – and they're the strongest and bravest individuals among all of Samhradh. _

_If it weren't for the ancient protection deeply rooted in the palace grounds, this place would have fallen into the Queen's hands ages ago. But I fear it won't last forever, especially if black magic is really used by the Queen." _

"_Which brings us back to your dilemma…" _

"_Do we still we have hope?" Though he wore an impassive face, his heart yearned for his old life. Since the disappearance of his best friend and charge, he'd been wandering around Samhradh for months searching for either of them – alone. _

"_In an unexpected way – yes." The owl snapped his head up. The leaves quivered as the Great Oak exhaled wearily. "I foresee the Princess' return, and she will do great things; righting every wrong and restore peace to Otherworld with the aid from those she could trust with all her heart." The Great Oak hesitated from there. _

"_But?" Nagi was eager to hear more of the prophecy despite the dread hanging over his head. _

"_The Princess will not be who she remembers. Self-doubt and confusion will bring more harm to herself than those around her. Whatever happens, do your best to guide her, Yanagi-kun." _

XXX

The owl noiselessly landed on the ground beside a girl leaning against a tree. He studied the sleeping form closely.

Wanting to avoid waking up with nasty surprises (i.e. a face full of cuts and splinters), Akemi had worn the travelling cloak's hood up before going to sleep last night. As a result, much of her face was cast in a shadow.

Being a sharp perceiver though, the discomfort on her features did not escape his notice – nor did the faint muttering.

He hopped onto her shoulder, and just as he'd expected, there was no reaction. He smirked at that thought. In spite of the (presumably) memory loss, Akemi was still the same Akemi he remembered – which meant waking her up was going to be fun (in the most sarcastic sense).

He vented a sigh, and after a moment of hesitation, took a deep breath and opened his beak wide. "Good morning! The sun is up! Rise and shine!" he called, battering her face with his wings. He leapt off her shoulder when she turned in her sleep.

"Five more minutes, mama" mumbled Akemi, snuggling closer to the tree with a sigh of content.

'_She really hasn't change at all,' _Nagi thought, deadpanned. He glanced down at her clasped hands with a contemplative look. _'Hmm… what are the stakes?' _With a nonchalant shrug, he hopped onto her lap and started to peck her hands, leaping away when she tried to brush him off in her sleep.

"We can't stay here all day, Akemi. _'No lingering'_, remember?" he said, dodging her hands. Hovering in mid-air, he sighed in exhaustion. "Okay, you asked for it." He swooped down onto her lap, and without giving a good thought about it, nibbled her right hand.

If he was not deeply engrossed on his task, he probably would have realised his charge was no longer asleep and was glowering down at him.

As it were, he was only alerted to it when a hand grabbed him by the scruff of his neck.

Even then it was too late.

The only thing he could do now was try to act calm, stop the sweat trickling down – "Oi, Nagi" – and ignore the fact she had forgone the use of 'kun'.

"Yes?" he replied casually as though they were holding polite a conversation.

"What did I say about nibbling my hand?" Akemi smiled sweetly, her voice dripping with poison. She lifted him up to eye-level, keeping a firm grip on his cheeks as she pinched them between her fingers.

"P-painful?" rasped Nagi, inwardly flinching. _'She looks more frightening when's she's not a human fireball.' _

Her smile widened, confirming his theory. "That's right. Now what should you say?" she hummed.

"I'm sorry –" he broke off abruptly, wheezing as his cheeks were being pulled sideways as if they were made out of rubber "– I promise I won't do it again. O-on pain of death," he swore, striving to hold his trembling wings in the correct positions.

"Good owl," she let go of his cheeks as her usual demeanour returned. "Can't you at least find a better way to wake me up?" Scowling at the owl on her lap, she pulled the hood off. "Getting pecked for the past two days had been all but fun. My hands were healing just fine _until_ you decided to chew the skin off one of them!" she nodded curtly towards her pockmark adorned hand.

Nagi rubbed his sore cheeks with both wings. "Unfortunately, I've tried my best but none of them were as effective," the owl justified. He continued with a mutter, "At least it's not bleeding."

She cast him a flat look. At least the owl had the right notion to look a tad shamefaced, which annoyingly made her feel guilty at what she'd done.

Nagi had more than a handful of times been somewhat of a nuisance with his frankness, such as when he commented on her numerous left-feet after tripping over protruding roots for the eighth time yesterday.

But in hindsight, Akemi was glad there was someone she could talk to, and he was a very good listener (not like she was about to openly admit it).

With a sigh of resignation, she gently picked him up (startling him for a second, for he thought she was going to pinch him again) and set the owl on her shoulder.

"Come on, I'm starting to feel a little peckish," said Akemi, removing the leather-bound book from the folds of the cloak. A frown appeared on her forehead. Carrying the book around was getting too cumbersome for her liking. If it weren't for the Royal Emblem, she would have discarded the item in a jiffy.

As she heaved herself off the ground, her stomach chose the right moment to growl, and in a quiescence morning, it sounded more like Godzilla (or whatever the Samhradh equivalent was).

"I think your stomach will agree with me that _'little'_ is a bit of an understatement," he remarked with a hint of amusement. He could sense the heat coming from her face.

"Just shut up already," mumbled Akemi through gritted teeth. Still seething, she reached around her stomach, pulled out a wrapped leaf from her cloak and unfolded it.

There was a hidden pocket inside the cloak, too small for the book (not like she's going to walk around with a book weighing her cloak down), but enough for storing berries. Three blueberries (to be precise as she soon found out) stared forlornly back at them.

"Hmm…we'll need to look for more," Nagi stated the obvious. "In the meantime, let's continue heading northwards," he motioned to their left with a wave of his wing. "The border to Geamhradh* is just another day's trek from here, and weather dependent, another four days to Earrach*."

"But I'm so sick of berries," she mumbled, only to contradict herself by stuffing one berry into her mouth as she started towards where the owl had indicated. She held out the leaf so that he could pick one up between his beaks.

It still puzzled her to no end that Nagi was, unlike what she remembered from watching animal documentaries, both diurnal and omnivorous (though she had yet to see him hunt). The owl had simply rationalised the benefit of conserving energy for more important situations, like journeying to the Kingdom of Earrach and evading the Red Queen's army.

In retrospect, she would rather endure another weeklong of berries than starve to death before reaching this Earrach – and that's before crossing another kingdom (she'd forgotten the name) to reach their destination. The King of Earrach was allegedly in very good terms with the Emperor and would be (she hoped) delighted to grant her (princess or not, as the owl had stressed) refuge.

She unconsciously placed a hand over her chest, feeling the lump that was the shape of the locket underneath her shirt.

A frown appeared on her forehead. Akemi caught herself just in time; she nearly called the Emperor, her brother. It had happened several times, whether in her thoughts or speaking aloud. The new influx of memory-like dreams mostly involving her bro – _'Emperor!' _she hastily amended, hotly – didn't help alleviate the problem…

…nor did the knowing look on Nagi's face when he asked, in the most casual, what her most recent dream was about. To her mortification, she'd been muttering in her sleep for the past couple of nights according to the owl.

"I-I…I can't remember!" she blurted as they came across a small stream.

Without warning, a feathered face appeared right before her eyes, causing her to jump back with a start.

"Lies and I know it."

Akemi was about to say otherwise when she found a wing over her mouth. At the glare he received, Nagi motioned her to keep silent.

She raised an eyebrow in puzzlement, the other soon joining in at the sound of a distant roar. It seemed like an eternity had passed when the echo eventually faded away into an eerie silence.

"What was that?" she whispered, staring wide-eyed at the trees lining opposite side of the stream. It took her a few moments to realise the owl was silent too, which was uncharacteristic of him. Out from the corner of her eyes, she noticed the owl was in fact, gazing ponderingly at her stomach. "That wasn't me and _you_ know it verywell," she hissed, eyes twitching violently.

"Sorry, I couldn't help it," he chuckled good-naturedly, leaping off her shoulder and onto a nearby boulder. "I'm going to check what it is. Unless your life is being threatened, _don't _go away. I won't be long." With that, the owl took flight and disappeared behind the trees in a blink of the eye.

Rolling her eyes in exasperation, she settled down on the boulder and placed the book on her lap.

Another roar ripped through the atmosphere, causing her to look up at the trees in alarm.

She eyed the gaps between the trees pensively. Then, in a flurry of movement, she jumped to her feet and pulled the hood over her head. Clutching the book against her stomach, she dashed across the shallow stream.

The trees passed by in a blur of brown and green. It was as though she suddenly had a tunnel-vision of the path, and her feet were automatically guiding her to the end of it.

She gripped the hidden locket, unsettled over the premonition clouding her thoughts.

There was something about that roar that just didn't sit right with her.

XXX

At the bottom of a wide gully, there was a lot of commotion. A group of trappers had landed themselves a great prize, a large black bear, and they were not being so quiet about it too.

"Look at that!" one chortled with his fellow trappers. He jabbed a thumb at the wooden cage which held the bear. "We've really outdone ourselves this time, right boys? Those posh aristocrats of Geamhradh are going to drool at the sight of the furs once we're done with it."

"I wouldn't call it 'outdone' if tranquilisers were used," a voice droned. It belonged to a red-head, who was lounging lazily on the back of his horse.

"Shut it, Mouri!" the trapper retorted sharply. "A rogue bandit like you will never understand the fine art of animal trapping!" he gloated, puffing out his chest out in pride.

But for all his dignity was worth, it vanished with a poof when the bear suddenly lunged forwards with an ear-splitting roar, causing him to jump away with a cry of surprise. To add insult to his injury, the hapless trapper tripped on his own foot and fell backwards. He hurriedly scrambled to his feet, face as red as a beetroot, and swore colourfully at the growling bear and the other sniggering trappers.

"All of you shut up and get back to work!" barked a man with unkempt facial hair. "We need to get to Geamhradh before the blizzards set in. Move it! Move it!" Disgruntled murmurs soon followed his order as the underlings dispersed into various activities. The boss of the group glared at the unperturbed rogue bandit. "And you, Mouri! We paid you to be our guard, so you might as well play your part or we will want our money back!"

Mouri snorted in derision. "Please – as if you can find anyone willing to be a guard nowadays, especially if you're crossing the border into Geamhradh."

The boss sputtered, his face turning purple with anger. Then with a huff, he turned on his heels, and stalked away with his nose in the air.

A smirk crossed his features, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. He had a feeling they were not the only ones in the area. Without moving an inch from his reclining position, he shifted his gaze above the trappers' heads to a tree that stood on the edge of the gully.

An uncertain amount of time passed between the owl and him as they (one assumes) stared down each other, until the rogue bandit, already bored stiff of this job, yawned widely and turned on his side so that his back was facing the owl.

Breathing a shaky sigh, Nagi swiped a wing over his forehead.

The sound of a twig snapping caused him to look down.

The moment his mind registered the hooded figure, he deflated. It was only his charge, flustering over the rather unfortunate twig. The owl was uncertain if he should be relieved or exasperated. He later settled on the borderline between the two, though it was leaning slightly towards 'exasperated'.

XXX

There were no bushes around the vicinity to hide, leaving Akemi with no choice but to conceal as much of herself as possible behind a tree.

Clutching the book in one arm, she pulled her hood closer to her face and peered around the trunk at the trappers in the gully. They were working up a sweat under the watchful eyes of the boss, taking down the tents and hauling boxes of tools onto a horse-drawn cart.

She felt her blood boiled at the sight of the caged bear crouching close to the floor. She briefly wondered why, until she fully grasped the size of the cage. There was hardly any room for it to move around, much less to stand in there.

It snarled, baring its teeth warningly at a trapper as he went around making sure the cage was tightly secured. The fidgeting young man struggled very hard to keep his trembling knees in control, and not constantly glance from the cage to the rows of sharp teeth.

'_Should I help the bear?' _she frowned, chewing on her bottom lip. Her heart wrenched at the mere thought of turning a blind eye.

Akemi abruptly broke off from her train of thoughts, slapping her hands over her mouth in case of a rebellion. She leant back against her tree, reached over her head with a hand and removed the object that had fallen on top of her hood.

"A twig?" she glared flatly at said offensive object. She tilted her head backwards to see the pesky owl perching on a branch directly above her head. He was holding another twig in his beak and looking like he was about to drop it until he was caught red handed.

With all the stealth granted to him as an owl, Nagi swooped down from his perch and settled on her shoulder despite the waves of murderous intent she was not even trying to hold off.

"What do you think you're doing?" she whispered, hotly. "Do you want me to get caught?"

"On the contrary, I merely wanted to get your attention." One look and the owl knew he had all of hers. "Unless _you_ have a better idea that won't send you screaming at top of your voice? I thought so," he smirked at the reddened face.

"I hate you," Akemi grumbled, diverting her gaze back to the gully. Then, she was hit by a brilliant idea. "You're a Royal Adviser – are you good with strategies?"

"Blowing my trumpet isn't my style, but that shouldn't be a question at all, Akemi."

She rolled her eyes. "Formulate a plan for me. _We're _going to free the bear."

"Here and now, I question your intelligence."

"I'm serious here, Nagi-kun! Something tells me, we need to save it!"

"Who's there!?"

The boss whirled around, eyes narrowed at the trees above the gully. His eyes flickered about until they landed on an eagle-owl preening its wings on a high branch. He gaped, eyes zeroing in on its sleek plumage. "Drop what you're doing and grab a few nets, boys!" he whispered enthusiastically; his eyes sparkled with greed. "We're going to catch that owl."

"Harh? But we just put everything back to place. What's more, we already have the bear –"

"Stop whinging and no more complaints!" he spat. Realising his voice was too loud and it might spook the owl, he continued in a rough whisper, "The Red Queen's rather fond of collecting bird feathers, and I'm sure she will pay a hefty price for _that_." He licked his lips, already imagining the extra pile of gold weighing his pocket down. He turned to the rogue bandit. "Mouri, I need you to come with us."

It wasn't a request.

In spite of that, the rogue bandit gestured lazily at the cage without bothering to glance his way. "Who's going to guard the bear though?"

"The bear's not going anywhere!" he retorted with a snap, grabbing a net from an underling. "He's locked up nice and good in that sturdy cage with the new padlock."

Shrugging indifferently, Mouri slid off his horse with a grunt, unstrapped his sword from the saddle, and padded after the other trappers scrambling up the gully's slope.

The boss watched him for a few seconds before starting after them, pausing by the cage to sneer at the bear, revealing a gold tooth, a couple of missing molars and a set of yellow teeth. The bear snorted mockingly, enraging him. "Manky bear," he glowered, shaking a fist.

"Boss!" the voice of one of his underlings called.

"What!?"

"The owl's flown to the other side of the gully! What should we do?"

He raked a hand down his face, sighing in frustration. How difficult was it to catch an owl? "Follow it then!"

"But we're –"

"NOW!"

There was a loud clamour as the trappers begrudgingly clambered back down and up the other side of the gully, with Mouri following them in a leisure pace.

"Bunch of useless idiots," he mumbled, swinging the net over his shoulder. Giving the bear a final withering look, he climbed up the gully and disappeared behind the trees.

The bear snorted again, though it lacked the previous energy. Its lips parted in what could only be described as a sigh.

"Is he gone?"

Its ears perked up at that soft feminine voice. At that same moment, the spark of life returned to the dark brown eyes. It was very faint, but compared to the last few months, it was stronger and brighter. The bear could only hold onto it, pushing aside the doubt, as he eagerly watched a hooded figure appeared around the back of the horse-drawn cart.

Wearing a frown, Akemi dug through the crates for a particular tool. Her face lit up when she eventually found what she had been looking for.

"Perfect," she grinned, lifting a hammer and chisel from their crate with a grunt.

Just as she was about to lean back, something else caught her eyes. Crushed between two crates, was an empty sack with more holes than she could count. A weathered leather strap was sown onto the fabric, perfect for carrying items on her shoulder. Assuring herself the trappers won't notice a ragged old sack had gone missing, she took it out and leapt off the cart.

But all the cheeriness faded into apprehension as her feet slowed to a stop about three feet from the cage.

She sighed inwardly; at least the bear didn't look like it wanted to eat her alive. Quite the opposite, it was silently watching her through eyes brimming with a mixture of curiosity and reluctant longing.

She packed the book into the sack and hoisted the strap onto her shoulder. Like she was traipsing in a minefield, she cautiously edged closer to the cage door.

'_This is going to be silly, but it's worth a try.'_

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you," she echoed her one-sided conversation with Nagi during their first meeting. She placed the tools by for emphasis. "There, no weapons," she smiled, holding her emptied hands as close as she dared to the bear's snout.

Instead of sniffing her hands, the bear's attention was on the silver bracelet on her left wrist; its eyes gleaming with rekindled hope.

Akemi blinked in puzzlement, but quickly shrugged it away and slipped off the hood.

There was a resounding thud when the bear's lower jaw hit the ground. It rubbed its eyes vigorously and blinked several times as though checking if the girl outside its cage was a mirage.

She raised a hand to her mouth to smother a giggle at the unexpected reaction. "I gather you've never seen a human lady in your life. No?" She raised an eyebrow while the bear shook its head vigorously.

It stuck its head between the wooden bars of its cage. The snout could barely fit through the gap, but the bear paid no heed as it growled softly, pawing at its wooden prison. It was heart wrenching, especially as it seemed to be calling out to her in a desperate way.

"Patience. You'll be out in a sec," she cooed, bending from the waist down. Her hands hesitated a few inches from the tools just as she was about to pick them up. "Wait a minute," she barely whispered, straightening up and leaning forwards until she could see her own face reflected in the bear's eyes that "– look so familiar."

An owl hooted, snapping her out of the trance.

Tearing her eyes from the bears', she glanced up to see Nagi gliding down the side of the gully from where he had led the trappers to.

A key was dropped onto the ground by her feet as he swept over her head. "I'd managed to nip the cage's key from the trapper while he wasn't looking. But hurry! They're on the way back!" He soared a few feet into the air and stayed airborne, keeping an eye out for any signs of said trappers.

Nodding, she grabbed the key and held the padlock up in one hand. With all the adrenaline coursing through her veins, she missed the keyhole a couple of times. She cursed under her breath, ignoring the rather disapproving growl from the bear. On the fifth attempt, she finally succeeded in shoving the key into the keyhole. The padlock plummeted onto the ground with a dull thud, missing the toes of her shoes by a centimetre.

She hastily stepped aside as the bear pushed the door open and staggered out of the cage to its freedom. Without warning, it suddenly turned around and barrelled into her. The bear easily picked her up like a doll.

Her eyes flew shut, not wanting to know if teeth or claw would meet her skin first. But, something was amiss. _'Wait, what is this fuzzy sensation?'_

"Oh, hello," chuckled Akemi, unnerved despite the affectionate way the bear was rubbing its cheek against hers. A giggle escaped her when it got a bit too ticklish. "You know, I've never imagine a bear hugging me. Usually, it's the other way round, except the bear's smaller, and not alive." She ended the rambling with a gasp, feeling even more breathless as it squeezed her tightly in a (forgive the pun) bear hug.

Nagi glided down to a stop before Akemi. "Save the pleasantries for later. We need to go _now._ The trappers are approaching the gully fast." He flicked a glance at the bear.

Akemi, starting to feel the lack of oxygen taking its effect on her, missed the look of recognition (and shock) briefly flashed through their features, as she wiggled in the bear's tight embrace.

"But where can we – woah!" she cried, suddenly finding herself being hurled onto the bear's back.

The instant the bear jerked into motion, she instinctively threw her arms over the scruff and latched onto its neck, resisting the temptation to release a shriek as the bear sped through the gully with Nagi trailing behind them in the air.

A sharp turn up the slope, and they were back in the woods.

By the time some of the shock abated and she was able to think clearly, Akemi wasn't sure how far they were from the gully, but it wasn't hard to miss the tell-tale sounds of the boss throwing a fit and turning his rage on his unfortunate underlings.

XXX

As the last of the day's light faded away, dusk was settling in. Stars twinkled in the clear sky and the crescent moon barely hovered above the peaks of the snow-capped mountains of Geamhradh just beyond this woods.

Thanks to the persistent bear, it would only take half a day to reach the border between Samhradh and Geamhradh instead of one.

Despite the warmth from the nearby small campfire, a shiver crept up her arms. She wrapped the travelling cloak tighter around her body, envious of the feathers and furs keeping her two companions warm.

Akemi drew a long sigh, her eyelids fluttering to a close. She mentally counted to five, but the enticing aroma of the grilled fishes (caught by the bear) wafting from the campfire proved too much, and she caved in before reaching three.

Opening her eyes, she turned to the owl waving the smoke away with his wing. "Can't you give me a hint here, Nagi-kun?" she implored with a little pout.

"Where's the fun in that?" he chuckled. "Just remember to empty your mind, and focus on what's in front of you."

"Easier said than done," she grumbled under her breath, trying in vain to rub off the stiffness running along the side of her legs.

Sitting with her legs folded underneath her and knees together were starting to take their toll on Akemi, who was already struggling with ignoring the hunger pangs and concentrate on the large black bear sitting cross(hind)legged on the ground before her instead.

The bear grunted, nodding in agreement with the owl.

'_Two against one; that's so unfair' _she fumed, pursing her lips into a thin line. She narrowed her eyes, subduing the storm whirling inside her head with very little luck. No doubt, Nagi was riling her up on purpose for using him as decoy.

As seconds ticked by, the bear could sense that frustration was teetering on the edge of a full blown explosion.

Let's just say, watching a fireball growing in strength was an unnerving sight.

Something in her head clicked. Akemi recognised that perturbed expression on the bear's face the instant she noticed the corner of its right eye was twitching ever so faintly.

Nagi paused in mid-tearing the fish's meat to sneak a glance at the human girl, feeling a smirk on his beaks.

At the sight of the locket making an appearance in her hands, the bear's eyes widened.

Heart beating rapidly against her chest, she carefully pried the locket open, and raised it in front of her until it was level with the bear's head.

"No way," whispered Akemi, staring incredulously at the black and white portrait of the Emperor then back up at the bear. How could she have missed it until now?

Both held themselves in a similar manner; hardened, well-disciplined and proud. However, past the guardedness in those eyes, there was an older brother instinct and distaste in having one's portrait drawn concealed behind the mask of an indifferent monarch. The artist left a minute line in the corner of the Emperor's right eye, emphasising his discomfort without making it awfully obvious, and it was this trivial detail that drew the mystery into a rather baffling conclusion.

"You're…the Emperor?" she asked in a slow and uncertain manner. The bear nodded enthusiastically. "Umm…how should I say this? You look very different."

The massive shoulders and furry ears slumped dejectedly.

"Most likely, it's the work of the Red Queen's magician," piped up Nagi, clutching a grilled fish by the stick as he hopped towards them.

The bear – no, Emperor – growled darkly at the mere mention of the Queen and that accursed magician. He bobbed his head, confirming the owl's theory.

Gripping her chin pensively, she scrunched her eyebrows into a frown, shoving aside her scepticism on magic. This was a _very _different world after all.

"I thought she wants him either slain or captured though. Why turn him into a furry mammal when the magician could have just as easily done either of those?"

"No doubt it's for the thrill of the hunt."

"Such cruelty," she scathingly remarked, shutting the locket. She muttered her thanks and eagerly took the fish from the owl, shifting her legs around for a more comfortable position.

"Eat up before it gets cold, and go to sleep. Now that the Emperor has been found, we must make haste to Earrach before the Red Queen or any of her minions realise we're heading out of Samhradh and send her troops after us."

Mouth opened wide, she was about to take the first bite when she suddenly sensed a pair of eyes on her. She reluctantly lowered the fish and glanced at the Emperor, who was watching her expectantly, his fish untouched in his large paw.

She shifted her eyes to the turquoise locket glinting in the light of the campfire. _'That's right; I look exactly like his sister. What should I say? What should I do? I am not the Princess…but those dreams – they…they felt too real…' _

Had she not been dwelling deeply in the subject, she would have tasted the metallic tang. As it were, she abruptly jerked with a start upon realising the bear was frantically waving his forepaws about as though playing charades.

Luckily, Nagi was at hand to translate the sign language. "There's blood oozing from your bottom lip, Akemi," he gestured vaguely with a wing.

"Thanks," she winced, hastily wiping off the blood on the back of her hand. She smiled sheepishly at the Emperor; her lips faltered when she noticed the exasperation on his face as though he knew of her bad habit.

Dropping her eyes to the grilled fish, her lips parted with a disheartened sigh. The other two jerked when she impaled the soil with the end of the stick. She heaved herself off the ground, her footsteps light as she walked towards the bear, stretching her arms far and wide.

The muscles tensed, but relaxed as soon as the initial shock disappeared. For once, he pushed aside his usual stoicism and gingerly enveloped the girl in his arms, careful not to pierce her with his claws. A deep vibrating rumble issued from his throat.

She allowed herself to be hugged back, biting back the tears of guilt that threatened to fall.

Nagi remained in a grave silence watching the girl battling with herself.

Was this the long awaited reunion he wanted?

XXX

"You're up early."

Akemi barely spared the owl perching on an overhanging branch above her head a flat glare.

"That better not be a pun or I'll chuck you off the tree."

"You've forgotten I have wings to save myself," he chuckled, extending his wings to the fullest for a brief moment before pulling them back. "I'm surprised how far up the tree you've managed to climb."

They weren't near the top, and she wasn't _that _foolish enough to risk falling to her premature death.

"Let's just say I'm a bit of an expert at scaling trees," she said, eyes affixed on the mountains in the horizon. Since this neck of the woods was less densely populated by trees, the mountains of Geamhradh were almost visible between the gaps. It was difficult to judge their true scales from this distance, but there was something omnipotent and breathtakingly beautiful about them.

"Oh?"

Her stomach twisted in a knot. Reprimanding herself over that slip up, she ignored the puzzled expression and maintained an apathetic façade.

Trees were her refuge from playground bullies, but even after they'd stopped tormenting her, she spent much of her break time on a high branch with her nose deeply buried in a book, much to her teachers' frustration. Once, the headmaster himself showed up with a warning against further perilous tree climbing, or risk facing suspension and a call to her parents. Akemi had sullenly complied then.

"There are things better said than bottled up, Akemi," advised Nagi, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"I think you've got that wrong," she remarked with a dry chuckle. "_There are things better left unsaid._"

"Are you sure? Because last night seemed otherwise," he hopped onto her branch, wearing that annoyingly knowing look on his face again. "You may have hidden it well from the Emperor, but your inner struggle was crystal clear to me. For someone who refuses to acknowledge their identity, it puzzles me that you did not uphold your belief."

She clutched the locket tightly in her hand. "I didn't have the heart to tell him," she muttered, staring crestfallenly at the two portraits. "At least not until I find a way back to my world, but it breaks my heart to leave him alone. I just don't understand why I think of that way –" She broke off abruptly; her voice was dangerously dancing on the edge of breaking into a whimper.

In hindsight, it was a good thing the Emperor had gone for a patrol around the vicinity as a precautionary measure; she wouldn't want him to see her in this state.

"The dreams." At the stunned silence, he added, "You'd muttered in your sleep again last night," he smirked, amused by her flushed cheeks, "_'Oni-chan! Oni-chan! Please take me to Geamhradh with you! I want to watch the sword fighting tournament!'_ – something like that." If possible, her face reddened further as she glared murderously at the calm owl.

Akemi turned her head pointedly away, grumbling underneath her breath. In less than five seconds, he was given a new set of nicknames to the already growing list, and with his sharp hearings, Nagi did not miss a single word, and chose to ignore all of them.

"Akemi."

"What?" she grunted.

"What if there's no way back? Have you thought about it?"

Her knuckles turned white from being clenched too tightly. She bobbed her head curtly after a moment of deliberation. "Of course – Why do you ask?"

"Because I'm wondering if you have a plan B."

Silence was her answer.

He drew a long sigh. "If you can't go back, then there is no choice but to settle in Otherworld." Silence again. He hesitated, fully aware of the sensitivity of the issue at hand, but he needed to know. "What if you _are _the Princess?" She snapped her head around, sharpening her gaze. When she was about to open her mouth for another retort, he hastily interjected. "Think back to your dreams. Apart from physical appearances, do you see any similarities between yourself and the Princess?" At the dubious look he received, he went on, "Remember: Empty your mind and focus on what is in front of you."

Feeling a bit silly, she did as she was told after several moments of hesitation.

It came to her very easily on the first try, surprising her. Then again, those dreams she kept having were too surreal and vivid to be make-believe.

Aside from the appearances, she and the Princess shared countless similarities, such as their inquisitiveness (which usually led them to catastrophes), determination (which was _always_ labelled as stubbornness), love of books and experiment on new baking recipes, and a few odd habits. Perhaps, what stood out most was their timidity and wariness towards strangers when both were very young, but slowly grew to be more opened as years went by.

Their upbringings were _very _different (that's for sure), resulting in a few but not overly drastic contrasts (which was understandable). Akemi could sympathise with the Princess, especially in regards to her wish to, one day, venture outside the palace wall, explore and travel to the wider Empire and the other three kingdoms with her brother, and visit her pen-pal, Yuki-kun.

But the Emperor always said the same words to her. _"It's too dangerous to travel outside. You're safer here." _

"_Safer from what exactly?" _the Princess would demand, tapping the toe of her shoes rapidly on the ground with arms crossed over her chest. _"I thought the capital city is the safest place in the whole of Samhradh."_

"_That doesn't rule out the risk of running into shifty people. What if you get mugged, or worse kidnapped?" _

"_I can defend myself! Sensei said I'm one of his best students! If you're that worried, you can always pick your best soldiers as my escorts."_

"_It's still too dangerous to go outside!" _

"_But what if I'm with you?" _

"_Prevention is better than cure."_

'_I honestly pity the Princess,' _thought Akemi, deadpanned. _'Perhaps I _am _better off without a sibling, especially an overprotective older brother,' _she vented a sigh. Part of her envied the Princess for having an 'overprotective older brother' though. Her brother was the only person she could trust with her life, and she loved him to bits despite the constant arguments and his frequent absences owing to his duty as Emperor.

Akemi recalled the aching sensation in her heart on hearing the bear's roar back at the stream, the strange yet resolute part of her rebelling against Nagi's order to investigate, and later, free the bear despite the risk of getting caught by the trappers.

Something tugged at her heart.

Perhaps it's the special bond between sister and brother?

…Between _herself _and _her brother_?

A chuckle snapped her back to reality.

She blinked (err) owlishly at Nagi. It took her a brief moment to she realise what was so amusing.

She spat out the poor leaf, gagging. "Urgh! Bleurgh! That's disgusting!" In lieu of her bottom lip, which still stung an awful lot after last night's embarrassing incident, she had unwittingly plucked a leaf and chewed on it. "Is it _really _that funny?" she glared at the chuckling owl.

Nagi quickly sobered up, earning a puzzled look as he cut the distance between them. He sighed wearily, remembering the Great Oak's prophecy and advice.

"Akemi…whatever happens, be true to yourself, even if you are a little bit lost."

XXX

Wrapping the cloak tighter around her body, Akemi trudged through the gently undulating boggy moorland in a slow pace, skittering around the odd heathers and trees before she could walk into them.

Her eyes were trained on the bulky figure of her guide lumbering a few feet ahead.

A few times her mind drifted to yesterday's conversation, more specifically to Nagi's advice, and twice the owl had to snap her out of her trance. Fortunately, the Emperor occasionally waited for them to catch up, and checked if she did not (somehow) meld into the fog. She doubted the latter would happen though. She would have lost sight of the Emperor (and vice versa) in this fog ages ago if it weren't for Nagi's keen senses.

The owl was currently perching on her shoulder, looking slightly puffier than before they'd set out towards the border. "We'll need to stop at the nearest town in Geamhradh. The deeper we travel into the Kingdom, the colder it'll get."

She briefly glanced at the dark silhouette of the looming mountains beyond the hilly moorland, already not looking forward to trekking through a winter wonderland, much less scramble up the face of a rocky mountain. Hopefully, it wouldn't come down to that. She doubted her ballet flats, which were on the verge of falling apart at the seams, would survive a journey like that, regardless of their quality and material. Then, it hit her.

"Umm…I hate to break it to you, but how are we going to afford winter equipment? Last time I've checked, neither of us have money on our persons."

"…Oh"

Her feet abruptly stopped. "_Oh?_" she echoed, incredulously. "There's a high chance I may develop hypothermia and die before reaching Earrach, because I don't have thick feathers or furs covering every inch of my skin, and all you can say is _'oh'_? I –"

The rest of the words died on her lips, feeling the ground beneath her trembled weakly for a few seconds before calmness returned to the moorland.

A shiver crept down her spine, but it wasn't from the chill. She flicked her eyes nervously around the moorland. There was something ominous about the fog and the equally dead silence following the tremor.

"Why have we stopped?" asked Nagi, curiously.

"Did…you not feel it?"

"Feel what?"

"It was weak, but the ground shook for a few seconds not long ago."

"Are you sure?"

"…never mind."

'_How could he not have felt it?' _wondered Akemi as she hurried after the bear, slowing down to a stroll when he wasn't just a tiny dot in the distance. She glanced at the Emperor, unaware his sister had fallen behind, appeared to be undeterred by the strange quake. _'Was I the only one?' _she briefly gave the boggy ground an uncertain look.

Unable to subdue the nerves and wanted reassurance, she asked the owl, "Does the northern border experience tremors – ever?" The moorland and fog (no matter how creepy it was) took her back to the trekking adventures in the Scottish Highlands. This might be a different world, but the landscape was rather similar, and she wondered if the seismic activity was too.

A deep humming noise issued from his throat as he rubbed the base of chin with a wing, mulling over her question. "Now that you've asked, I remember there's a Samhradh folklore that speaks of a Bog Spirit as ancient as this moorland which sheltered it. He's said to be mischievous and takes pleasure in leading unsuspecting travellers astray with his light display."

"Like a will-o'-the-wisp?" she couldn't help but to put in.

"What's that?"

"The Bog Spirit and his lights you'd mentioned remind me of a similar myth from my world."

"Interesting," he remarked.

"But the Bog Spirit is just a legend right?" she pressed.

"According to the folklore, he once lured an old traveller to the deep end of a murky lake. Fortunately, the poor chap realised it before he could slip into water and drown. Well, turned out the traveller was a powerful wizard, and he didn't find it the least amusing, and sent the Bog Spirit into the depths of the moorland and placed a spell that put him into an eternal slumber.

Since then, there were no reports on the strange lights, and the Bog Spirit became nothing but a myth, passed between travellers to spite or humour each other, depending on their intentions. There's a popular saying that whenever the Bog Spirit turns in his sleep, the ground trembles."

"So you think the strange phenomena neither you nor oni-san but only I felt it was the Bog Spirit?"

There was a stunned silence, which puzzled Akemi until Nagi enlightened her that she had openly called the Emperor 'brother' for the first time, although he noticed the different honorific used. "Have you realised the truth?"

His hopeful tone did not escape her notice. She smiled sheepishly. "Honestly, I'm still reluctant to accept it," she paused, shifting her gaze to the sky. "What you said about having a plan B got me into thinking. If I can't return to my world, then I might as well fully resign to my fate. But I think as more of those dreams come, a part of me has willingly accepted it – enough to call him 'oni-san'."

"But not enough to use 'chan' because you feel awkward about it," he added smoothly, earning a curt nod from his charge. "Small steps or you'll fall." She abruptly halted. "Well, stopping isn't what I have in mind."

"Nagi-kun…is it me or has the fog suddenly gotten thicker?" she asked in a low whisper.

The shadows of Geamhradh's mountains seemed to have vanished as her field of vision was reduced to no more than four feet. With a stab of fear piercing through her heart, neither hide nor hair could be seen of the Emperor.

Without warning, an animalistic roar tore through the foggy moorland, nearly sending her ten feet into the air in fright.

"That roar – Oni-san is in trouble," she whispered swiftly, glancing frantically around in vain. _'That roar came from a distance.' _"Nagi-kun!"

"I'm on it!" There was a short pause as the owl took to the air. It didn't take him more than a few seconds to pin point the direction of the sound. "This way!"

As she followed the owl's lead, the ground beneath her feet shuddered for a brief moment. With all the adrenaline pumping through her system though, it went unnoticed.

"Akemi! Behind –"

She skidded to a halt and spun around, heart in her throat, and lashed out with her leg, blocking an otherwise fatal blow to her head.

Someone wolf-whistled, inwardly irking her. "Ohhh, this little miss has spunk."

"Whatever, we'll just make sure she doesn't get away with it."

"You're the one who set that bear free didn't 'cha, little miss?"

Akemi turned on her heels towards the voice, and felt her eyes widened in shock at the owl trapped underneath a net by the boss's feet. The sharp tip of the sword appeared above Nagi's head when she made a move to help him.

"_Don't_ even think about it. One wrong move, and say goodbye to your precious owl's head," he warned in a sing-song manner, gesturing at Nagi's neck with his sword. He clicked his tongue, shaking his head. "You sure caused us a lot of trouble finding and recapturing that bear."

"Where is he?" she demanded, hotly. "What have you done to him?"

"Not to worry. Not to worry." He waved his hand dismissively. "He's taking a nice snooze while my boys cart him to Geamhradh as we speak. The journey across the mountains isn't very short after all." His lips twisted into a sneer. "On the other hand, your life will be cut short. Seize her!"

Snickering, his unsheathed their dagger and advanced on her; their footsteps slow and deliberate.

Just as slowly, she backed away from them, holding her fists aloft. "Don't you dare come near me!" she blurted, struggling to keep her resolve from wavering at the sight of the sharp blades. "Or you're all going to regret it!" Her threat was met with sneers, but she firmly held her ground, ignoring the part of her brain that was screaming for her to run. "I'm warning you!"

She braced herself as one of them lunged forwards.

The only warning the trapper had was the sound of thundering hooves before he was roughly hauled up by the back of his tunic and thrown bodily over the ground. He flew away from them, disappearing from view. There was a loud sickening crunch moments later.

The remaining trapper tried to scamper away from the returning horse, but he was a second too late, and quickly joined his comrade on the ground several feet away from the confrontation.

The horse was brought to a halt beside her.

"What is the meaning of this insurgence, Mouri!?" the boss shrieked, despite the fact he was the only one standing.

The rogue bandit dismounted with a nonchalant shrug, unperturbed by the sharp end of the trapper's sword now aiming at his chest. "Isn't it obvious? I'm resigning. Oh, and also –" He threw a small pouch at the boss's feet. "– you can have your dirty money back. I was going to return it sooner or later at the border anyway."

"Why?"

"I needed the extra cash to get a new saddle," he waved it away as though unimportant, "But your swindling ways in the fur trading business severely disgusts me."

"As if you're any better – you're a thief!"

"I steal from the rich and give to the poor. Afraid my morals outshine yours by miles."

'_Th-there's a real-life version of Robin Hood in this world?' _mused Akemi, deadpanned.

"So you're going to help that damsel in distress. Is that it?"

"Am I not making it very obvious? Or are you _that _thick-headed?" The boss made a move to pounce, but froze when he found a loaded crossbow pointing at his forehead. "Let the girl and the owl go, and I'll spare your life."

"The girl can go, but I get to keep the owl!" he countered firmly, though at the sight of the finger hovering over the trigger, he had second thoughts. "F-fine!" he spat, turning to the owl.

Akemi felt her heart leapt unpleasantly as the boss brought down the blade only to slice across one end of the net.

The owl wasted no time and wiggled to his freedom.

"Nagi-kun!" she cried in relief, catching the owl in mid-flight when he was flying towards them. She pulled him into a hug. Nagi did not protest, and remained uncharacteristically silent and motionless in her arms. _'Probably playing an ordinary owl,'_ she speculated, glancing down at said owl. _'I'm surprise he doesn't look a touch shaken by this ordeal.'_

Maintaining the pointed end of the arrow on the boss, Mouri backed a couple of paces to stand directly in front of her. "Go now – before he changes his mind," he muttered. "The border is behind you. Keep going straight and don't turn back."

"But what about you?"

"I can deal with him. That bear is more important to you right?" he stressed.

She hesitated; he wasn't the only one with morals that outshone the boss's here. The owl broke free from her arms, and flew up to her head, hooting frantically. _'He's telling me to go too,' _she realised with a sigh of resignation. Turning halfway around, she dipped her head respectfully. "Your great deed will not be forgotten, kind sir. Thank you."

The rogue bandit grunted in acknowledgment.

Supressing the guilt, she darted towards the general direction of the border with Nagi leading her from the air.

The fog was starting to disperse. Still, he kept a close distance. They could not afford to lose each other, especially with the Emperor captured and his location unknown.

XXX

Opening his mouth wide in a long yawn, Shishido leaned over the saddle to brush his horse's mane to a neater and more presentable appearance. He was _that _bored; he realised with a sigh of irritation.

Trudging slightly ahead of him, Hiyoshi mirrored his sentiments, though he kept it well hidden under a cool composure like that of the highly-respected soldier he was.

"This is dull work," droned Shishido, waving away a fly. "No one crosses this forsaken moorland anymore. Why are we patrolling this side of the border?"

A horse was pulled up beside him. "That may be true, but we are fulfilling the King's order," Ootori gently reminded him with a sheepish chuckle. "His Majesty isn't one to put his guard down regardless. It is understandable with the recent events in Samhradh."

"Is he expecting the Bog Spirit to pop up from the ground and say hi to us? Though that will be more exciting than staring into the fog for hours," Shishido added as an afterthought, scratching his chin. He blinked in surprise. Hiyoshi had coaxed his horse to a halt. "What's wrong?" he asked, joining his comrade on the side with Ootori not far behind.

Hiyoshi held up a finger to his lips and gestured with his head at something to their right.

Narrowing his eyes into a squint, Shishido shifted his gaze to where he had directed. Visibility was still poor despite the fog was starting to thin out. Just as he was about to turn to Hiyoshi, he spotted two approaching misshapen dark figures, one bigger than the other, amid the fog. His hand automatically hovered over the hilt of his sword upon realising one of the figures was actually hovering in the air.

'_The Bog Spirit?' _He chuckled ironically in his mind, shaking his head. _'Nah – that's just a tale cooked up by scaremongering idiots.' _

Hiyoshi drew out his sword, scowling at the shadows as he waited for any imminent attacks.

The trio ducked out of the way as an eagle-owl swooped over their heads. They watched as it circled twice before gliding down the side of the hill towards a girl, who was bent over clutching her knees for support. Her mouth opened and closed several times as she gasped breathlessly for air.

Hiyoshi raised an eyebrow in puzzlement, noticing something the others didn't. _'Is she talking to the owl? Whatever.' _"Let's go."

The girl snapped her head up at the sound of approaching hooves. Her pet owl immediately settled on her shoulder as she slowly backed away, but stopped as she was soon surrounded by the armoured soldiers sitting atop their grey horses. Her eyes flickered to the emblem of a white rose emblazoned on their polished shields before she went slightly cross-eyed when Hiyoshi pointed the sharp end of his blade at the spot between her eyes.

Hiyoshi could sense Ootori's gaze burning through his armour, silently pleading him to stop terrifying the poor girl. "Who are you, and state your purpose," he challenged, struggling to keep his horse from fidgeting. The other two greys were just as restless. _'Something is spooking them.'_

"Please let us through! I-It's important!" she gushed.

"Harh? What is so important that you can't even give us a name?" probed Shishido, studying her strange outfit with a dubious look. It was then he noticed a strange blue glow pulsing beneath the folds of her travelling cloak.

The horses whinnied in fear, throwing their heads back and snorting loudly.

"Whoa!" Ootori cried, trying in vain to calm his grey.

"What's going on?"

Hiyoshi glanced over at the girl, and felt his eyes widened in alarm at the slithering vines that had somehow appeared above her head. "Miss! Run!" he cried.

Few of the vines untangled themselves and lashed out at the trio, who steered their horses away in time.

A feminine cry tore through the atmosphere.

Hiyoshi snapped his eyes up. "Miss!"

The vines, rotten to the core and dripping with sodden peat, had wrapped themselves tightly around her flailing body as they lifted her up from the ground. The girl was visibly growing weaker and weaker as seconds ticked by.

The owl was seen trying to fight off the vines with his talons. More vines emerged from the cracks in the boggy ground and caught the bird.

Shishido cursed, fighting to stay in the saddle as he drew his sword out, which Ootori closely emulated.

Just as Hiyoshi was about to coax his horse into a charge, a white blur whizzed between him and Ootori with loud thundering steps.

"Isn't that!?" Shishido gawked.

"_Be awed at the sight of my prowess!" _

XXX

One moment she was in the air, wheezing and writhing feebly in the vines, the next she was sent plummeting back towards the ground, screaming until her lungs burned.

Akemi landed on something soft that was definitely not the boggy ground. She slowly peeled her eyes opened and blinked owlishly, the shock becoming more and more apparent the longer she stared in stunned silence at the young man holding her close to his chest as they raced back on his grey steed to the three soldiers.

She had never seen him appearing in her dreams, much less in her world.

It wasn't that tear-mole or his dark purple hair.

That pair of dark-blue eyes that seemed to glint even in the grey moorland when he smirked in amusement at her facial expression?

They looked oddly familiar.

* * *

**Again, I don't own the translated lyrics of 'Your Silver Garden'. Credits to PMMM wikia for them.**

**Sanada might be a bit ooc in this chapter, but in this Otherworld, Akemi IS his beloved sister whom he had not seen for a long time. **

**Cameos explained:**

**1) The boss and his trappers appeared in chapter 8 as the bunch of delinquents who attempted to mug Akemi. (refer to chapter 8 of 'Bright Side of Life')**

**2) Mouri was the third year from Rikkai who rescued Akemi twice. He's a canon character from New POT.**

**Thanks for reading. I hope the appearance of Atobe has got you all excited. He will play a huge role in Akemi's quest in the subsequent chapters **


	3. The White King

**References****: Samhradh = Summer, Geamhradh = Winter, Foghar = Autumn, Earrach = Spring**

**(HUGE fluff alert!)**

* * *

"_The child who was lost was the earliest to come home today_

_I hope I can run while gazing at a place that is brighter than righteousness"_

_Excerpt from 'Your Silver Garden', by Kajiura Yuki_

XXX

A large grey steed paused on the peak of a hill overlooking the border between Samhradh and Geamhradh.

Dressed in outdoor gear made from the sturdiest material was Atobe Keigo; better known throughout the four kingdoms as the White King. He sat atop the horse, his piercing dark blue eyes surveying the deserted moorland around him with intense concentration. Though with the fog, there was hardly anything to be seen.

On more than a few occasions, he'd personally been down to the border with his long-time friend and Royal Chancellor, Oshitari Yuushi, to check on the sentries patrolling the moorland when there were no royal duties requiring his immediate attention, or simply when he's bored, enough to know fogs weren't exactly rare occurrences here.

Yet, there was something off about it today.

For once, the usually cool and dashing (he may have added this himself) King was unable to shake off the sense of foreboding biting onto the back of his skull like a nasty parasite.

'_It's quiet. Too quiet…like the moorland is hiding something,' _he noted grimly, eyes flicking about every corner of the moorland visible to him, searching for any signs of wildlife to no avail.

"The sentries shouldn't be far from here – is something the matter?" Oshitari asked as his horse trotted to a stop beside Winchester, noticing the King's focus was on the vast land before them, and that his hand was hovering over the rapier that was strapped onto his belt.

After a moment of silence, the hand returned to gripping the reins. "Nothing," Atobe muttered, earning a dubious look from his companion which he ignored. "Come on. It's time to drop in on them for a surprise visit."

Without another glance at the Chancellor, he urged Winchester on into a canter. _'There's something here, but what?' _The King glared irritably ahead as his horse navigated the gently undulating topography, Oshitari's horse plodding after them at a close distance.

All too suddenly, Winchester skidded to a halt halfway up a slope, nearly throwing off his rider in the process. His nostrils flared with a loud snort, scuffing the ground with one of his hooves as he threw his head back and sniffed the air eagerly, his ears pulled far back against his skull.

Atobe raised an eyebrow at the behaviour his trusty steed was exhibiting. _'He seems agitated,' _he thought, coaxing the horse to move onward. _'That means ore-sama isn't the only one who has sensed something odd.' _

His theory proved correct when the unnatural silence that had been bothering him was broken by a feminine cry and a series of cracking sound akin to a tree snapping in half.

The grey snapped his head up, snout turning to the left. Atobe glanced at the same direction and felt his eyes widened in alarm.

Oshitari appeared beside him within a few seconds. "Wh-what is that thing?" he whispered in horror.

_Thing _was the only word for that creature.

Sprouting out from the ground with mounds of ripped up earth lying haphazardly around the roots, a mass tangle of rotting vines that were very much alive as they were whipping and snapping threateningly at the three sentries, who were trying to get close to its prey that _thing _had ensnared.

The girl had stopped squirming, too weak to even utter a scream as the vines tightened their grip around the body in a bone-crushing hold.

A sharp noise akin to a sword being pulled out from a sheath caused Oshitari to glance over at his companion.

The King smirked behind the palm of his left hand, his fingers spread over the upper half of his face from the spot between his narrowed eyes. He brandished a dagger in the other hand as his mind worked at break neck speed, calculating how he should execute his move.

With an exasperated sigh, Oshitari instantly recognised that glint in his eyes. "Hold on! This isn't time for one of those crazy challenges. Kei –"

But Atobe had already set his sights on it, and without further ado, urged his horse into a full on charge towards the _thing_, his right arm with the dagger drawn back as far as he could. His ears were filled with sound of his pounding heart, matching the rhythm of Winchester's thundering hooves as they zipped past the flabbergasted sentries in a blur of white.

He grinned like a cheshire cat as his horse skilfully dodged the vines lashing out at them. "Be awed at the sight of my prowess!" he proclaimed on top of his voice, swinging his arm forward with all the force he could muster.

The dagger flew away from his grasp. For a few seconds, it spun laterally in the air like a saw blade before slicing through the targeted vines, a couple of inches above the girl's head.

With a loud snap, the vines split apart, sending her plunging back towards the earth with a scream.

Atobe kept his eyes glue on the figure as Winchester kicked off from the ground for a high jump, letting go of the reins for a split second to catch the girl in his arms at the height of the arch. He wasted no time. Sitting back in the saddle as far as possible, he hastily set her in front of him, and pressed her tightly against his torso to prevent her from falling off as gravity took hold.

As soon as the hooves touched down, Winchester pivoted and galloped back towards where Oshitari and the sentries waited on a hill with swords drawn out.

Sensing a pair of eyes on him, Atobe lowered his gaze to the girl sitting mutely with her head nestled nicely against his shoulder. Her soft brown eyes were wide as platters as she stared unashamedly in shock at him.

The corner of his lips began to twitch into forming a smirk.

XXX

Staring (especially when one's not being subtle about it) for a long period of time was considered very rude and downright creepy.

Akemi abhorred being stared at, always finding it extremely unnerving. Attracting attentions was not her idea of enjoyment.

In contrast, her rescuer seemed to be basking in it.

Her first clue was the smirk. There was a trace of amusement, and self-pride he wasn't bothered to hide. The second was –

"Oh? Is the fair maiden finding it very difficult to take her eyes off the perfect picture of an incredibly good-looking man?" he asked in a husky voice, smirk turning into a large toothy grin.

The pair of soft brown eyes blinked twice; shock now replaced by puzzlement.

"No, it's not that –"

As soon as those words left her mouth, the horse was abruptly brought to a halt and she was quite unceremoniously shoved off the saddle. Akemi would have made acquaintance with the boggy ground if it weren't for the quick-thinking young man with the round glasses catching her fall.

"Hey! That is uncalled for!" she barked, fighting against the hands pulling her back as her rescuer turned the large grey around, wielding a rapier in one hand.

"You deserve it, ungrateful witch! No, blind –" he amended snappishly, earning a dirty look from Akemi. "– for you can't even appreciate this fine piece of art right in front of you!" he gestured wildly to himself before leaping into another longwinded rant.

Akemi gawked in bewilderment as he waved his hands about in a pompous and flamboyant manner. _'Is he for real?' _she regarded him incredulously.

A snort interrupted his tirade. He glared darkly over her shoulders at the young man suppressing his mirth without success, and finally over to the three sentries, as though daring them to even twitch a single facial muscle, before turning his smouldering gaze to her.

Akemi broke free from the grasps, retaining a defiant stance as she glared back with just as much malice.

The three sentries watched the exchange in silent amusement, for neither seemed willing to back down.

A polite cough sounded, effectively breaking the tension. "I apologise for interrupting, but there's a monster out for blood there," the young man with the glasses pointed at the vine creature.

Akemi snapped her head around and gasped in horror moments later, causing the others to glance at her curiously.

A single vine was retreating back to the crack in the ground from whence it came, and slumped inside its clutch was none other than the owl.

'_How could I've forgotten about him!?'_ she berated herself, guilt-ridden."Nagi-kun!" she exclaimed. With her back facing the round-glasses guy, she missed the look of recognition which briefly flashed in his eyes.

She made a move forward, but her path was promptly blocked by the large grey, causing her to stumble away from the bone-crushing hooves. "Wh-what do you think you're doing? Get out of my way, you _idiot_!" she demanded hotly, glaring at said idiot.

The purple-head sputtered indignantly for a brief moment before recomposing himself.

"If you value your life, then you should be wise to stay back and leave the rescuing to the professionals," he cautioned calmly, inwardly surprising himself. He was initially tempted to tell her to waltz straight to her death, but seeing her distraught, he had a change of heart - though it was masked perfectly under his cold, unwavering gaze. "Ootori! Shishido! Come! We have a monster to slay," he jerked his head, motioning the aforementioned sentries to come forward.

"Yes, Sir!" they exclaimed exuberantly with a sharp salute and climbed onto their respective horses.

He turned to the remaining sentry. "Make sure she doesn't go anywhere, or you will be demoted. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Sir!" the sentry replied following a moment of stunned silence.

Turning his horse around, he cast a final warning glare over his shoulder at Akemi before the large beast started towards the monster with a gallop. The other two sentries flanked him, one on each side, with swords raised over their heads as they charged into the fray.

The remaining sentry planted his feet firmly on the ground in a defensive stance in front of her with both shield and sword poised in his hands.

"So – How does it feel to be left behind again, Hiyoshi?" the round-glasses guy quipped nonchalantly from beside Akemi, drawing a smaller sword out from its sheath.

An eyebrow twitched. "Tsch! Shut up, Oshitari-san!" Hiyoshi retorted gruffly without a glance behind, his narrowed eyes alert for any first signs of danger.

Oshitari continued to tease the poor sentry, much to the latter's irritation.

Akemi wasn't listening to the one-sided petty jibe. Pursing her lips into a thin line, she watched the battle unfold before her eyes, hating this sense of helplessness that was forcing her to stay behind the frontline. She couldn't wield a sword or dagger to save her life (much less someone else's) from a giant monster that had been so keen to crush her into a pulp not long ago.

Much as she loathed the idea of being indebted to _him_, and even more so if he rescued the owl, Akemi had no choice but to reluctantly place all her hopes on him and the two sentries. It wasn't like there were better alternatives…

She clutched her hands over her pounding heart in a silent prayer, staring desperately with a worried frown, and constantly flicking her gaze from the trio gallantly fighting the strange creature to the unconscious owl.

At one point, her eyes rested on the purple-head, who managed to chop off a vine in time before it could snag one of the sentries off his saddle.

'_Who is he?'_ she deepened the frown, watching him dexterously swung his rapier with one hand, and steering his horse around the vines with the other, looking ostensibly untroubled by the fact he's armed only with a rapier, whereas the other two sentries carried shields and wore cuirasses. _'The sentries seem to hold him in high regards, enough to obey his commands unquestioningly. A general?'_ She quickly dismissed that thought. Somehow, none of the military titles that popped up in her head fitted him. _'Perhaps he's a noble? He does act like one of those high and mighty posh people.'_

Shouts from the distance snapped her out of her thoughts. It was then she realised both Oshitari and Hiyoshi had fallen silent wearing matching expressions that filled her with dread as they watched the ongoing battle.

Hiyoshi's bulky cuirass and shield were blocking her view, and to her frustration, both he and Oshitari insisted in keeping it that way.

"What's going on? Tell me, what's going on!" she demanded fiercely, struggling to yank her arms free from Oshitari's relentless hold. "Let me go!" she snarled, glaring at him out from the corner of her eyes.

"Please, stay calm –" He abruptly broke off with a loud grunt, holding his stomach where she had practically elbowed him.

Unrestrained, Akemi darted around Hiyoshi, only for her to run smack into a wall of steel when he threw out his shield, which incidentally hit her face really hard.

She staggered backwards from the force, rubbing her poor nose as her eyes began to water and glaring murderously at him.

Then, quite suddenly, the entire colour drained from her face. But her eyes were not on the sentry before her anymore.

'_Damn! I was too careless!' _thought Hiyoshi, crossly. Aside from knocking her back with his shield, he had not foreseen her feet taking her sideways and to a full view of the bottom of the hill where the battle was drawing to a close.

She managed to catch a final glimpse of Nagi before he disappeared into the huge crack in the ground and didn't resurface as seconds painfully turned to minutes.

"This isn't happening right?" she muttered softly, her voice quivering from all the effort to subdue the barrage of emotions swirling inside her. She stared numbly ahead as their leader turned his attention to somewhere at the roots of the vines. Even from here, the frustration was clear on his face. "Tell me…this is all a lie. Ne – Hiyoshi-san…Oshitari-san."

Akemi wanted to tell the sentry how much she hated the grave expression on his face, but it was as though she had suddenly lost the ability to think, let alone speak.

Her heart plummeted to the ground when a weight appeared on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, miss," Oshitari whispered.

Her trembling knees buckled, and she gave no attempt to stop herself from collapsing onto the ground with an anguished shriek.

"Miss!" Oshitari exclaimed, falling onto his knees beside her thrashing body. He grabbed her wrists in an effort to stop her from hurting herself, his palm unexpectedly touching a cold, metallic object on her left wrist. Curious, he unfurled his fingers, recognising the fleur-de-lis and labradorite adorning the silver bracelet the instant his eyes fell on the jewellery.

'_Just who is she?' _the Chancellor studied her face, frowning suspiciously.

"O-oi! What's happening to her, Oshitari-san?" asked Hiyoshi disconcertingly.

Akemi lay exhausted on the ground, eventually too weak to move, breathing heavily from the shock and pain. A single tear rolled down her cheek, mixing with the glistening sweat covering her face.

Oshitari breathed a sigh of relief, but moments later, her lips parted in another shriek, clutching the front of her shirt as another onslaught of pain ripped through her.

Isn't a broken heart only a metaphor from dark fairy tales and novels?

Then why does hers felt like it was shattering into a million pieces?

"M-my heart!" she gasped, struggling to keep the faces of Hiyoshi and Oshitari hovering concernedly over her focused, "It hurts so m-much…p-please, make it stop –"

"Save your energy and stop talking! We'll take you to –"

The rest of his words were lost on Akemi. With a tired sigh, she surrendered to the darkness.

XXX

Down below the hill, a rather vexed Atobe readied his rapier as his horse galloped towards the strange light that caught Shishido's attention earlier. The other two sentries were spread out several meters around the creature, acting as diversions for the King.

He repeated the same curse under his breath; they had failed to rescue that girl's owl.

The very thought of it infuriated him, even more when he pictured the look of disappointment and anger on her face.

He shook his head frantically, berating himself. _'Tsch! Why am I worrying if she's going to curse the daylights out of me at a time like this?'_

Almost reluctantly, he turned his attention back to the pulsing bright red light, finding the rhythm matching that of a human heart extremely disturbing even though it's growing weaker as they drew closer to the source. Oddly enough, the vine monster's attacks seemed to be getting sluggish, missing him and the two sentries several times now.

Atobe shook his head in attempt to clear his mind, harshly reminding himself that 'Atobe Keigo the Magnificent' _never _gets intimidated by something as puny as a –

'– _ruby shard?' _he frowned at the blood-red gemstone embedded onto one of the thick roots. Though it was growing weaker with the light, he detected a trace of magic within the shard. _'Could it be what brought these smelly vines to life?' _He brought his rapier forward and made a few quick slashing movements, dislodging the shard from its host.

But as soon as that'd happened, the pulsing light suddenly died, leaving a dulled ruby in its wake. Cracks criss-crossed the surface, deepening until the shard eventually burst outwards; scattering speckles of the gem everywhere.

Cursing inwardly, Atobe held onto the reins as a startled Winchester back-pedalled with a terrified neigh.

Just then, a familiar feminine cry rang throughout the moorland, causing him to glance sharply back at the hill in alarm as the small figure of the girl crumpled onto the ground and didn't get up.

Behind him, the slithering vines groaned to a stop, but Atobe only notice something was amiss when an ear-splitting crack ripped through the atmosphere.

"The vines are coming down fast, your Majesty! Run!" shouted Ootori, in a moment of panic, forgotten to address him only as 'Sir' or 'My Lord' outside the castle.

Winchester didn't need a command from his master. The large grey took one look at the disintegrating vines and bolted as plant debris began to plummet towards the ground. Despite his built, the horse caught up with the other two greys with a few long and powerful strides.

Together, all men and horses managed to regroup with Oshitari and Hiyoshi at the hill relatively unscathed.

As soon as they were within a couple of meters, Atobe leapt off the saddle and strode towards the two crowding around the unconscious form of the girl. He made a mental note to ask for a name; calling her _'girl' _was starting to get tiring.

Hiyoshi hastily stood up so that the King could kneel beside her.

'_She's breathing. Thank goodness.'_ "What happened to her?" Atobe turned sharply to Oshitari, who was dabbing her sweaty forehead with his handkerchief. Her ghostly pale face was slightly twisted in discomfort as though having a nightmare.

"She suddenly collapsed and was writhing rather violently on the ground, saying something about how her heart hurt before she fell unconscious."

"Will she be alright?" Ootori piped up, concernedly.

"She'll most likely wake up in a few hours," the Chancellor assured, pushing up his glasses. Though he was chancellor, Oshitari had learnt a few fundamental things from his father, who's a highly regarded doctor back in his hometown.

"That's good to hear," the sentry sighed in relief as a frowning Shishido left his side. "I feel terrible for not being able to save her owl. How did she take it?" he added after a moment of hesitation. "Do you think it's what caused her to pass out?"

"That, I can't be certain –"

"Oi! Have you lost your mind!? That's rude!"

Hiyoshi's outburst caused the other three to turn sharply at Shishido, who paid no heed as he dipped his fingers down her collar.

"Shishido! What do you think you're doing in front of ore-sama!?" a flustered Atobe barked, his face gradually turning purple with rage.

'_My, that's extremely rare,' _Oshitari smirked in amusement, noticing the subtle hint of red. Yes, he had noticed the usually cool and composed dear King of Geamhradh was easily ruffled today by a mere girl.

With a low growl, the King grabbed the sentry's wrist and yanked his offensive hand out from her shirt, and was about to admonish him for such disgusting act when the turquoise pendant dangling from a silver chain between Shishido's fingers caught his eyes.

"Give it," Atobe ordered tightly, placing his hand under the pendant. "Or you will face a greater punishment for your insubordination."

The sentry immediately dropped the chain from his grasp, sheepishly muttering an apology.

On the other side, a pensive Oshitari leaned his head in for closer look, suspicion growing inside him.

Knitting his eyebrows into a frown, he brushed a thumb over the Royal Emblem of Samhradh, feeling the faint warmth radiating from the pendant.

'_Who is she? Strange…is this a locket?' _Curious, he inserted his thumbs into the narrow slit and pried the compartments opened, his eyes immediately widening in shock.

Behind the cracked glass on the right compartment was a black and white portrait of his old rival, the Black Emperor of Samhradh, who mysteriously disappeared following his sister's a year ago.

Disbelief filled the King's dark blue eyes as he gazed from the portrait of the smiling girl in the adjacent compartment to the pale face below.

Was it by some twist of fate, the very princess he had always wanted to meet for years suddenly turned up at his Kingdom?

XXX

_The locket hit the mantelpiece with a sharp crack and fell opened in the roaring fire, revealing long crevices crisscrossing the glass surface like delicate spiderwebs. _

_Flames licked at the turquoise locket treasured so much by the Princess. _

_Before the fireplace, Akemi fell onto her knees, sobbing uncontrollably into her hands as her shoulders shook violently. _

_Someone was pounding on her door, but all she could hear was the sound of her heart shattering into pieces._

"_Why? Why did you betray me?"_

XXX

Akemi shot up straight on the bed with a loud gasp.

Breathing deeply in an attempt to calm down, she placed a clammy hand over her pounding heart. On feeling the turquoise locket poking back, she tugged the chain out and hugged it dearly.

Was that a figment of her memory too?

If it was, she didn't like it one bit.

She remembered feeling helpless as an overwhelming sense of sorrow, disappointment and anger swallowed her like the deep sea.

'_Thank goodness, I woke up before something bad could happen,' _she sighed wearily, before her back stiffened a brief moment later.

Her eyes widened in horror as memories of what happened in the moorland returned. She clutched the locket tighter as though it would comfort her and fill the void in her heart she didn't know it existed until now.

'_What am I going to do? I'm all alone!' _she hugged the locket to her heart as tears threatened to cloud her vision.

It was strange.

Growing up over the years, Akemi was never bothered by living with little to no human contacts.

Her mother was frequently away for the whole day, returning from the restaurant very late at night. Her father, though he made the effort to leave the university before dinner (she had learned to cook simple meals after reassuring her parents countless times she would _never_ run around with knives), spent most of his time immersed in work he brought back. At times when her father was away for conferences abroad, she was the only one left in the house most of the day. But she could never in her heart blame them, understanding it's what put food on the table.

When she's over at the elderly Mackenzies' farm, barely more than a few words per sentence came out from her mouth, but that never put off the lovely couples, and she was allowed to spend her free time helping out at their farm and brushing up her horse-riding skills.

At the dojo, it was the same scenario. She stuck to Linda like a shadow and stayed away from the fearsome looking sensei as far as possible.

That changed little by little when she grew more confident to speak out her mind, and she could hold a long conversation without constantly fidgeting or playing with her hair, only reverting to her quiet self when she's at school.

As a victim of bullying, it made her wary of the kids in middle school, and that led to them avoiding her like a parasite for they thought she was too proud. How they came to that conclusion was _always _lost on her. Though in hindsight, she probably should have put in a little more effort to make friends.

But the past's in the past and she's no longer in her world…

Even if she's half convinced she had (somehow) fallen into a different universe, where everyone seemed to have pop out from a fictional medieval saga, and the Princess from the Kingdom of Samhradh coincidentally resembled her, there was no denying Nagi had always been there to console her despite knowing her predicament, and she'd yet to reveal the truth to the Emperor.

She couldn't just accept their deaths straightaway, at least not until she'd seen –

'_No! Don't you dare go there, young lady!' _she harshly admonished herself, letting go of the locket, she wiped away the tears on the sleeve, but paused after a couple of wipes. _'Odd, this feels very different.'_

Blinking in puzzlement, she glanced down at what used to be her favourite shirt was now replaced by a loosely-fitted white chemise, that hung precariously from her shoulders, with a neckline that made her feel uncomfortably exposed even though her _assets _were (to her relief) well hidden beneath the smooth garment.

'_Isn't this silk?' _she mused, brushing the soft fabric between her fingers in a distracted manner. "There's a more problematic situation at hand, and here I am, admiring a piece of cloth," she muttered irritably under her breath as she let go of the sleeve, and glanced around the dimly-lit room.

She was sitting in the middle of an overly large and luxurious canopied bed; complete with white translucent drapes were bound to each bedpost by a silver tasselled cord. A thick and soft duvet covered the lower half of her body, while her back was resting against one of the few pillows aligned across the headboard. Two beautifully carved bedside tables stood on either side of the bed. With a sigh of relief, she noticed the familiar dagger and book were stacked neatly over one another on the bedside table to her right.

A little self-conscious, even though there wasn't another soul in the room, Akemi quickly undid the ribbon bow holding the chemise in place and pulled it higher up her shoulders. Satisfied with the new look, she carefully crawled to the edge of the bed.

The hem of the chemise fell around her ankles as she swung her legs off the duvet, her bare feet meeting a fluffy carpet; a welcoming contrast to the chequered tiles spread across the floor.

She wriggled her toes with delight, giggling softly at the ticklish sensation until she caught a glimpse of shadows dancing on the front edge of the carpet.

A small crackling fire greeted her from behind a metal grate when she lifted her eyes, making her stiffened in fear.

She hastily looked away with a panicked expression. Fire was the last thing she wanted to see.

After a dubious moment of hesitation, she turned her head around, avoiding the fire on purpose to stare at the huge portrait mounted above the ornate mantelpiece.

In the foreground, her purple-head rescuer sat proudly on his grey steed. The familiar smirk present on his face briefly made her wonder if he walked around smirking at people all the time, as though challenging them for a duel. He donned a suit of armour the colour of ivory with decorative gold embossing. A soft-hued periwinkle cape flowed down from his shoulders, splaying neatly over the back of his horse. One of his hands hidden inside the gauntlets gripped the rein, while the other that faced her was propped up on his hip, his fingers barely brushing the pommel of his rapier as though he always prepared for a sudden attack.

Rising from the bed, she padded as close to the fireplace as she dared while studying the portrait for a second time, arousing her earlier suspicion that he might be born of noble blood.

Akemi stood on her toes and craned her neck to read the inscriptions on the plaque nailed to the bottom frame. But it was too high up, and she didn't want to risk cricking her neck.

Sighing in resignation, she turned away and strolled to the window beside the fireplace. Her ears detected weak whistling and rattling noises as she drew closer to it.

She pressed a tentative hand on the surprisingly warm glass, feeling it shudder meekly underneath her fingers. The whistling turned out to be the wind blowing a white storm behind the panes, which was probably what made the rattling noise.

"Eh!? It's snowing!" she gaped in astonishment, pressing her nose against the glass as she gazed at the snow flurry. _'Scratch that, it looks more like a blizzard!'_

Without warning, one of the double doors to the room cracked open, causing Akemi to wheel around with a start.

In the dimly lit room, she could only make out a matronly face and a pair of glasses as the mysterious figure stepped into the room and closed the door behind her.

"I see you're awake, and in good timing as well. I'm glad to have taken it upon myself to check on you every hour." said the woman, reaching for a tasselled rope dangling beside the door. "Oshitari-sama said you will regain consciousness within four hours of arriving."

Biting back a squeal, her eyes flew shut when the room was suddenly bathed in bright light.

"Apologies, I should have given you a little warning before opening the skylight," she said as she calmly moved to the other side of the room.

"I-it's ok," stammered Akemi, blinking several times to adjust to the light streaming down from the ceiling as she warily watched the woman tied up the curtains, allowing more light to enter from the windows. Curious, she lifted her eyes to the depressing picture of a blustery night behind the circular window set into the ceiling.

The view was oddly crystal clear considering the condition outside and all.

Light footsteps caused her to snap her head back down to see the woman stopping in front of her.

"The castle is fortified with ancient magic to withstand hazardous wintery conditions such as this," she piped up, seemingly reading her thoughts. "We are also blessed with underground heat that can only be found on this island in the whole of Geamhradh. There is a complex network of pipes that allow heat to flow between floors and walls, providing the castle with sufficient heating throughout the year."

Akemi quietly regarded her through wary eyes.

Sensing the fear, the woman did a curtsy, and introduced herself as Sakamoto, the lady-in-waiting. "You have nothing to worry about, your Highness," she added confidently, straightening her back. "The White King explicitly informed me after he brought you back that no harm will come to you as long as you're under his care."

"Umm…the White King?"

Sakamoto mutely gestured at the portrait above the mantelpiece.

After a dubious moment of stunned silence, she uttered the four words that her dazed mind could come up with.

"You _must _be joking."

XXX

Akemi followed the lady-in-waiting down the opulent corridor with her silent guard, Kabaji, plodding a few paces behind them.

Upon stepping out from the bedchamber earlier, the unexpected sight of a burly man standing beside the double doors and holding a spear was enough to frighten her until Sakamoto, a no-nonsense type as she had quickly learned, assured her that he's a harmless guard.

She tugged at the sleeve of her ivory dress nervously, hoping the smooth silken dress wasn't going to slip off her figure like melted butter, despite the two handmaidens (summoned by Sakamoto) had made sure _everything _was firmly secured around her body before setting off. The only consolation was the modest neckline.

They were currently heading to the throne room where she was told the White King awaited her presence.

He didn't exactly leave a good first impression on her, and she's still finding it hard to believe _the _King of Geamhradh and that toffee-nosed purple-head were the same person, though it did explain his brash attitude towards her.

But it wasn't like Akemi to trust first impressions straightaway.

(Unless the other party had plenty of robust evidences to prove otherwise)

The King _did _save her from that monster before knowing her 'identity', and Akemi was strangely certain he wasn't the type to abandon a vulnerable young lady in the middle of a creepy moorland with only a mythical Bog Spirit for company.

And she's here at his castle, allegedly as his guest of honour.

That meant there's a smidgeon of redeeming character within him, right?

As they descended a flight of marble stairs, Akemi thoroughly went over the plan in her head, mulling over it numerous times until the uncertainty of it working in her favour was starting to suffocate her (and that's not the fortunately breathable corset at all).

With a tired sigh, she diverted her attention to the splendid architecture instead.

The lingering aromatic scent of milk and rose drifted to her nose, reminding her of the rather awkward bath. Though the bathtub was placed in the far corner of the room, well away from the portrait and with a wooden screen for privacy to boot, Akemi couldn't shake off the uneasiness of having to undress and later helped into the ivory dress by the two handmaidens, let alone fully unclothed in the bath for an excruciating half an hour with that humongous picture of _him_ hanging on the wall in the same room.

'_He'd better not done it on purpose! Letting me stay in that room of all places,' _she scowled irritably, her cheeks flushed.

Glancing out a large window as they passed it, Akemi caught a glimpse of the snow storm outside, sending a chill up her spine just by looking at it; glad for the warmth and protection provided by the castle's enchantment and central heating system. She could even feel the gentle warmth rising from the tiled floor on the soles of her shoes.

"You don't keep cats in the castle do you?" she couldn't help but ask the lady-in-waiting. "I imagine it must be hazardous to navigate the corridors with numerous cats curled up on the floor."

"We always keep a high standard of hygiene and cleanliness in every single corner of the castle in light of that. No tail nor hair of a mouse has ever been spotted. Although we _do_ have a cat, if you count him as one," Sakamoto sighed exasperatedly after a moment of hesitation, gesturing at the entrance hall to her left.

Puzzled, Akemi glanced over to the direction indicated as she walked past, and did a double take.

Next to the large double doors at the opposite end, a guard was curled up on the floor, fast asleep and oblivious to the world and his displeased partner who stood on the other side.

'_Security is quite lax here,' _she remarked, dryly.

"We have arrived, your Highness," Sakamoto announced after a moment.

Akemi looked up to see another set of double doors before them, but this exuded more grandeur than the others she'd seen. _'This is it,' _she swallowed anxiously, steeling her fluttering heart as the lady-in-waiting rapped her knuckles sharply on the surface twice.

A moment later, they were greeted by an old man, his hair and bushy moustache grey with age. He stepped out into the corridor and quietly shut the door behind him.

"This is Michael, head of the household staff and the King's personal attendant. He will escort you into the throne room."

"Your Highness," greeted Michael, bowing deeply. "It is indeed a great pleasure to meet you. Come, his Majesty is expecting you."

XXX

'_This place is just unreal!'_ Akemi marvelled at the spacious, opulent hall; awe and astonishment written all over her face. _'And here I thought the bedchamber is impressive!'_

A chuckle cut through her thoughts, causing her to turn her head in the direction of the sound.

Sitting on the high-back marble throne, one leg casually crossed over the other, was none other than the White King in all his finery.

He wore a white military jacket, fashioned with three gold braids, each attached to moonstone-embellished buttons on both ends, and a large silver round collar and cuffs, where his white gloves peeked out from beneath them. A pair of white breeches began from his waist, only to disappear behind the stylish silver knee-length boots. And lastly, for a finishing touch; a luxuriant fur-lined ivory cape, which flowed gracefully down his shoulders, spreading neatly onto the floor by the foot of the throne.

One thing was certain; the White King had an excellent taste.

'_Wait…Which period from the history books I am in again?' _pondered Akemi, giving his extravagant outfit another once-over before sneaking a glance at the figure standing at a respectful distance beside the King. Excluding the cape, Oshitari was dressed in a similar style, though compared to the monarch's, his attire was pretty modest (which was understandable, considering the status of the person sitting on the throne).

The King propped up an elbow on the armrest and leant the side of his face against his knuckles, a smirk tugging at his lips as he silently regarded her with a hint of amusement for what felt like hours.

Akemi stared back with a kind of polite inquisitiveness glinting in her eyes, hands neatly folded together in front of her. _'Am I supposed to curtsey? What is the code of conduct here? Oh drat! I should have asked Sakamoto-san!' _

In a fluid movement, the King rose from his throne and descended the short flight of steps.

The sharp clicking of heels echoed throughout the large room as he sauntered towards her, confidence matching his strides.

'_Surely, that must weight a tonne,' _Akemi thought in a deadpan manner, briefly glancing at the hem of his bulky cape, which was lightly brushing the floor. _'…what is he doing now?' _she wondered, watching the King as he began to circle her with a pensive expression before stopping a mere foot in front of her.

He threw out his arms beside him with flair. "It is with great delight for ore-sama, Atobe Keigo the Magnificent, White King of Geamhradh, formally welcomes Princess Akemi of Samhradh to Eilean Caisteal*!" Bowing from his waist, he took one of her hands and lightly pressed his lips on her knuckles.

"Thank you," she replied, slightly taken aback by the chivalrous gesture, though in hindsight, she probably should have seen it coming from miles.

"How are you finding your accommodation, my Lady?" he politely enquired, straightening his back.

'_It's slightly over the top, and that gigantic portrait of yours gives me the creeps, especially when it feels like you're watching me in the bath, but…' _"It's extremely beautiful," she admitted without missing a beat.

His smirk widened into a toothy grin. For a moment, he looked like he was struggling to say something, but thought better of it, and instead lifted her hand in his and twirled an alarmed Akemi around.

"As usual, ore-sama's eyes never fails," he watched the floor-length skirt flutter gracefully around her feet, looking absolutely pleased with himself. "This ivory dress, handpicked by ore-sama truly suits you, my Lady." He brought her to a halt after spinning her twice on the spot, placed two fingers under her chin and gently tilted her head up. "Hmm… though for a princess, you look plainer than ore-sama imagined."

Akemi wasn't one obsessed with looks (like the King obviously was), or does she consider herself exceptionally beautiful, and usually, offhanded remarks like these fell on deaf ears, but today was _exceptional_.

'_I hope you didn't handpick that nightgown too, or I'll pulverise you right here and then,' _she glared irritably as his smirk returned in full force, finding amusement in her reddened cheeks. _'Careful, he's only winding you up on purpose.'_

She took a steadying breath. "Your compliments are much appreciated. Thank you for saving me from that monster, and not leaving me at the moorland," she said in a formal tone as though reciting a speech, completely aware he was still holding her chin.

"Not at all, my Lady," he shook his head casually, "What gentleman leaves a defenceless maiden in an unknown land?" He paused to gaze deeply into her soft brown eyes like he was trying to read into them. "Ore-sama sense a burning question in you." he prodded, curiously.

She hesitated, subtly biting her lip. "I wish to discuss an important matter," she said, blinking in surprise when the smirk was abruptly dropped to be replaced by a poker-face.

The King removed his hands, withdrew a couple paces, and folded his hands behind his back. The heels of his boots clicked to a stop when he paused beside her, staring ahead at the large double doors as though surveying the intricate rose patterns carved onto them.

"About that owl?" he supplied in a neutral tone.

"Yes."

"Is he important to you?"

"…Nagi-kun's a friend and guardian to me, best friend and Royal Adviser to my brother," she admitted after a long pause, wondering why he asked that if he knew about her identity, and judging by the lack of response, the owl's too. She lowered her gaze to her clasped hands, quelling the uneasiness swirling inside her stomach.

"My brother was turned into a bear by the Red Queen's magician." A stunned silence followed; that was one piece of information they didn't know, though strangely, even with their backs facing each other, she could sense the King taking the news calmly. "We saved him from a group of trappers, but he was recaptured as we were travelling through the moorland and carted to goodness-knows-where in Geamhradh. We would have followed them if it weren't for that _vile _boss and monster."

"Were you heading to Geamhradh?" Oshitari enquired, curiously.

She briefly glanced up at him then back at her hands. "Just passing; our…original destination _was _Earrach before their rather…untimely disappearances," she amended, carefully choosing her words. "But I know they're still alive! I can feel it!" she claimed passionately, clutching the turquoise locket in one hand.

"So you wish for ore-sama to help you search for them?" the King concluded.

"I will return the favour," she vowed, earnestly.

Akemi looked up when he reappeared before her. "And what will the reward be?"

She hesitated, unable to judge from his tone or expression if he was willing to help, but she must soldier on for the sake of the Emperor and Nagi. "Anything you ask. Lands, treasures – I will even gladly ask oni-san to strengthen the tie between Samhradh and Geamhradh; make trade businesses easier for both sides. It will benefit your kingdom's economy in the long run," she added, hoping the idea of increased wealth would entice him into the deal, despite uncertain of the current economic situation of Geamhradh.

The corner of his lips twisted upwards into a wide smirk. "For a sheltered princess, you know your way around politics well. Ore-sama's impressed," he nodded, appreciatively.

"Then, you will help?" she blurted, her heart beating rapidly with renewed hope.

"But what you're asking from ore-sama is worth more than the combination of a long-term friendship between two nations. Lands and treasures? Ore-sama have plenty of them."

Her heart froze. "What do you mean?" she frowned in puzzlement.

"If it goes well, the Emperor and his Royal Adviser will return to Samhradh and beat away the Red Queen's army, reclaim what is rightfully his, and Samhradh will ultimately regain its former glory… Correct?"

Akemi had not thought of this possibility, but nodded nevertheless. She blinked; frowning as comprehension dawned on her. "Because the consequences of the favour may turn out extremely well, you're asking for more?" If possible, his smirk widened. "Then, what is it you wish?"

His chest swelled with what he was going to say.

"Your hand."

The gears of her brain suddenly ground to a halt as she visibly stiffened under his serious gaze.

"Are…you…implying..."

"A marriage," he aptly supplied. "As a reigning monarch, ore-sama needs a queen to secure the line."

There was a stunned silence, then –

"I'm sorry, but I think you've mistaken me for someone who freely gives herself away like candies," Akemi glowered menacingly at the King as she slowly backed away; careful not to trip on the floor-length skirt.

"Harsh," he nonchalantly remarked with a light chuckle, following her at a leisure pace; completely unperturbed by the murderous intent.

"And I _firmly_ do not believe in threatening and forcing someone into marriage. For securing a place on the throne _or_ producing heirs," she blushed furiously at the whole lot of meanings behind the latter, but remained defiantly unmoved by his blatant proposal.

He cocked his head. "Not even for your brother?"

Her footsteps stopped cold, the colours on her cheeks vanishing instantly as her breathing becoming gradually sharp.

He stopped in front her, reclaimed her chin in his grasp and brought his face down to meet hers, leaving only enough room for them to breathe. "Well?" he pressed, moving one gloved hand to caress her face, the other playing with her soft hair. "Ore-sama promise a lifetime of joy and freedom. Oh, ore-sama know your dear brother shuts you away from the world within the palace fortress," he added after seeing the shock reflecting in her eyes.

But, Akemi wasn't taken aback by that knowledge. It was out of the fact he was still going on about it like a marriage was a frivolous event.

Glaring at him, she roughly stepped away from his hand as though touched by something vile and putrid. "I would sooner kiss a frog than marry an arrogant _swine_ like you!" she snapped.

His facial muscles twitched irritably at the offensive comment before he quickly smoothed it out with a smirk, ignoring the rather loud cough behind him.

"Where are you going?" he asked calmly when Akemi wheeled around and started towards the door.

"Away from the swine," she replied coldly, causing another muscle twitch from the King and another cough from the Chancellor. She paused in her steps, long enough to glare coldly at him over her shoulder. "Seeing as we've failed to reach an agreement, I will seek help from the King of Earrach instead. At least he's a _more_ compassionate king than you." Memories of meeting the King of Earrach never appeared in her sleep, but she had overheard the Emperor and Nagi praising him enough to trust her own words.

She turned her head pointedly away.

"Do you know the routes around the mountains? It's a long and treacherous journey from here to Earrach, and it is very easy to get lost in these mountains, especially in a blizzard," said the King, gesturing vaguely at the wall with a lazy flick of his hand. "I gather, you _don't_," he smirked triumphantly when her shoulders visibly stiffened. He strolled to a stop behind her and gently rested his hands on her shoulders, which shuddered slightly under his touch. "Surely my end of the deal is far more attractive than freezing to _death_ in the middle of a cold and bitter night?" he tempted huskily, leaning his cheek into her soft hair.

"N-no…" Her soft voice was on the verge of breaking.

The King raised an eyebrow, feeling another shudder. "Why not?"

"I've given my reasons loud and clear," she replied tightly, almost raising her voice.

"That you did, but you're going to waste precious time finding your way through the mountains; and even if you do reach Earrach, by the time you've met the King of Hearts, they might well be as good as _dead_."

A stony silence followed.

Her breathing seemed to have stopped altogether.

But in a blink of an eye, she'd spun around, pulling her hand far back, and slapped him soundly across the face.

The King staggered backwards from the unexpectedly large blow, pressing a hand against a reddening cheek.

Michael, who had remained silent as he observed the exchange from the sidelines, quickly stopped him before he could trip on his own cape.

Disgust and hatred marred her pale face as she glared murderously at him.

"H-how _dare _you speak of deaths so easily?" she said in a thick voice, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. No, she wasn't going to cry in front of the swine! "I thought better of you, but I was _so_ wrong…so wrong..."

Holding her head high, she stood defiantly on her feet as Oshitari joined Michael on the other side.

Her voice was soft and deadly calm, but her words spoke volume.

"Atobe Keigo. I _hate _you."

XXX

Silence filled the throne room after the Princess's abrupt departure. Beside the doors which she had roughly thrown open, stood a bewildered lady-in-waiting and the guard assigned to the Princess.

Oshitari was the first to break the silence with a heavy sigh, pushing up his round-glasses up his nose-bridge.

"You've gone too far, Keigo. Honestly, you should stop with those silly challenges. Look at what this one has done to your image, and I'm not just talking about your face." Oshitari shifted his gaze to the doors. It was still in once piece and the door wasn't bolted during the whole interrogation, but they weren't exactly built from light materials either. "That girl sure has strong arms," he glanced over at the King wiping away the blood from the corner of his lips, reconfirming his theory.

"Shut up! You're being too noisy," retorted Atobe, tersely. Frowning at the red smear on the back of his bare hand, he reached into his jacket with the other that held his gloves, and pulled out a silken handkerchief to clean off the bloodstain.

"What are you going to do?" Michael asked politely, straightening the fur-lined cape that had gone slightly askew.

"Go after her," he swiftly replied, as the King pocketed the handkerchief, put on his gloves and needlessly dusted his jacket. "She shouldn't be far, and there's no way she can escape this island."

"But she _hates _you," reminded Oshitari, calmly putting an emphasis on how much she loathed him by gesturing at the scarlet imprint she left on the King's face. "And may I add from the way she looked at you just now, it definitely wasn't adoration." He gave his glasses another push. "If you're going to apologise to her, do so as soon as possible. A woman's scorn should never be looked down on."

Just as before, the White King disregarded the Chancellor's words and briskly crossed the throne room, and headed down the long corridor; his long ivory cape billowing gracefully behind him.

"Great. Now we have two of the world's most stubborn people cooped up on this island together," Oshitari sighed wearily, massaging his temple.

Despite that, a knowing smirk crossed his features. He had known his friend for years, long enough for the Chancellor to read through the indifferent façade, where beneath it was a King deeply troubled by the flitting moment the Princess turned away from him with a look of utter devastation etched across her face before running out of the throne room.

XXX

The kitchen was empty when Akemi burst into it, heart pounding in her ears and panting heavily from the exertion of running even though nobody followed her.

But she didn't give it any thoughts, as her mind was preoccupied with _one_ task.

'_Out! I need to get out of here!' _she glanced frantically around the neat and spotless kitchen. Her eyes, slightly bloodshot from holding back the tears that had fortunately dried up, eventually spotted a door right in the far corner a few moments later.

Heart beating rapidly, she hurried to the door and grabbed the skeleton key from its hook nailed next to the door. _'Makes sense to keep a key hanging around inside, because what are the odds of anyone breaking out from a castle?' _she dryly thought, inserting the key into the hole and twisting it.

The door unlocked with a click.

A cold blast of air entered the kitchen as she gave the door a push. The ivory dress was allegedly enchanted to provide some degrees of warmth, but she was quickly finding the crispy wind biting at her exposed skin a huge deterrent.

Wrapping her arms around herself, she hesitated at the doorway. A cloud of mist formed at her lips with each breath as she gazed miserably at the white landscape before her.

Intimidating mountains covered in snow surrounded the vast castle grounds, which seemed to stretch endlessly, like a natural fortress. In the far distance, she could just make out lights and pillars of smoke rising in the far distance; hopefully a town where she could ask for a little assistance.

The blizzard had thankfully stopped, and the sky was clearing to reveal stars glinting in the background and a crescent moon peering out from behind a thick cloud, but enough to cast weak moonlight over the threshold. Someone had cleared a small path in the snow, but where it led, she wasn't sure.

Akemi lingered a few moments longer until the familiar clicking of boots coming from the room adjacent to the kitchen startled her into action. In a moment of panic, she leapt out into the cold, slamming the door behind her before locking it up and throwing the key away.

Her fingers having gone numbed in the biting cold, she struggled for a heart-stopping moment with gathering the hem of the skirt in an urgent fashion.

"You _do _realise ore-sama have a master key?" an obnoxious voice called from behind the door in an amused tone, making her freeze (forgive the pun) in horror.

Cursing under her breath, she grabbed a handful of the fabric and lifted the skirt up to her ankles, turned tail and ran like her life depended on it down the path just as a click sounded.

She heard the tell-tale sounds of the door swinging opened, and the King plodding behind her in a deliberately slow pace soon after, whistling an irritatingly cheerful tune as though taking a stroll in a park.

He paused in the middle of the tune. "You can run, but you cannot hide, my Lady!" he said in a sing-song manner.

One of her eyebrows twitched violently. _'Urgh! That whistling is getting _very _annoying!' _She cast the snow a contemplative glance.

An indignant shout rang throughout the white landscape when a large snowball when was thrown directly at his face.

The sound of footsteps following her impromptu attack abruptly died long enough for Akemi to hasten her pace.

The dry air pricked at her eyes, causing them to water, and she was becoming increasingly breathless, but she didn't allow herself to falter.

'_Am I being selfish?' _she pondered, feeling a dull ache in her heart. _'The Emperor and Nagi-kun's lives depend on my decision, yet here I am, selfishly running away from help when it was offered on a silver plate.' _She shook her head fervently. _'But, I just can't bring myself to accept the King's proposal! Oh, how dare that jerk use marriage as bribery!' _

She glared at the mental image of the King, scorching that arrogant smirk in her mind, and momentarily forgetting to pay attention to where she was going.

For that reason alone, Akemi did not notice the snow around her was slowly melting as if by magic; and the ice coating the last two steps of the marble stairs, until she slipped on it with a cry of surprise.

For a very brief moment, she caught a glimpse of her own eyes wide with horror reflected on the glazed surface before she made a painful acquaintance with the solid ice.

"Owww…"she whimpered, groggily pushing herself onto her elbows as though in a daze. As the worse of the dizziness faded away, she lifted her head up and gasped.

The crescent moon was no longer obscured as the cloud drifted away. Moonlight fell upon the grounds, illuminating a frozen lake that seemed to stretch endlessly from the castle grounds. She was on the edge of the lake, about a couple of feet from the bottom of the marble stairs which ended abruptly at the narrow shore.

Her face fell, realising in dismay that the lights of the town were on the far side of the lake, and that it looked impossible to cross without constantly slipping and skidding on the ice, which by the way, looked neither thin or thick so Akemi couldn't judge if it was safe to even cross it.

But just as before, the sound of footsteps hurrying towards her instantly caused her to jump into motion.

Heart pounding rapidly, she scrambled onto her hands and knees, slipping ungracefully a couple of times before she managed to get on her feet, and cautiously placed one foot forward.

"Oi! Get back here this instant!" the King demanded feverishly between gasps.

Akemi glanced up over her shoulder, uncertainty and a subtle hint of concern briefly flashed in her eyes at the sight of him leaning against his side before smothering it with pure hatred, remembering the nasty swine he was.

A ghost of a cringe momentarily crossed his face at that look, but the King quickly recomposed himself and calmly descended the stairs, stopping a few steps above her. "Come back. There is no way you can leave this island in this condition," he said in an unexpectedly gentle voice, offering one hand out for her to take.

But Akemi had enough of being fooled by his fake performance.

Throwing a last withering look, she turned her head pointedly away, and gathered her skirt –

Suddenly the ice around her caved in, sending her splashing into the icy cold water as her mouth opened in a terrified scream.

Just as the water threatened to reach her over neck, a pair of strong arms shot out from behind and caught her around her abdomen, stopping her from falling any deeper into the cold grave. As though she weighted only a feather, the King hoisted her out from the water, shifting one arm down to back of her knees, and carried her back towards the stairs, his expression grim.

Physically and mentally drained from the whole ordeal, Akemi could only shiver uncontrollably in his arms, no matter how much she hated him, and clung onto his jacket, soaking into the warmth radiating from beneath it.

He gently set her down on one of the steps, took off his cape with a swish and threw it over her trembling shoulders.

"W-why?" asked Akemi weakly, as he wrapped the cape around her quivering body, the fabric easily swallowing her smaller frame. She briefly glanced at the fading imprint of her hand on his face. "I don't understand why –" she abruptly broke off when a pair of gloved hands grabbed the sides of her face and was made to look up as he brought his head closer, their noses almost brushing.

Despite the cold and dampness of his gloves, a curious kind of warmth spread across her face where he was touching.

"You said death should never be taken trivially, but you were clearly contradicting yourself by stubbornly walking to your own grave!" he rebuked in a low and clear tone, glaring furiously into those soft brown pool. "Ore-sama doubt the two will ever want to see their Princess snuff it at such a young and tender age. Would you rather die in vain before reaching the border to Earrach, or stay safe within the castle grounds while waiting for news from the search party?"

Her eyes downcast, she diverted her gaze away from his dark blue eyes that seemed to pierce deep into her soul, wrapping the cape closer around her body. The trembling had lessened somewhat, but the dress was soaked through, and she could feel the cold crawling on her skin like ants. "…b-but I don't want to…" she whispered dejectedly, her soft trembling slightly, feeling the tears prickling at her eyes.

But his words cut through her like a sword.

A single, rebellious tear rolled down her cheek, and onto one of his gloved hands.

Her face was oddly cold when he promptly withdrew his hands and leant away from her face, drawing a long sigh as he removed both gloves and pocketed them away.

Now that she had calmed down a little, the gentleness of his touch as he wiped away the remaining tears from the corner of her eyes with his thumb left her pretty much dumbfounded at his ulterior motives.

But before she could voice her question _and _protest, he suddenly scooped her up into his arms once more, bundling the cape securely around her body, and carefully rose onto his feet, carrying her up the stairs and back towards the castle.

Though weakened and exhausted, that one small part of her was telling her to break free from this frustratingly snug hold, but she could barely move her legs and arms.

"Stop squirming in there! You're making it difficult for ore-sama to carry you as it is!" said the King in an irritated manner, scowling reproachfully at her. When she did not comply a few moments later, he squeezed her firmly against his torso, though he was careful not to hurt her, his action effectively inhibited anymore rebellion.

Akemi glared at the smirk that had returned to his features, and pointedly turned her head away from that irksome face, her feet dangling uselessly over the ground.

Snow on the many paths of the castle grounds had long melted away; making her wonder if it was the working of magic or the underground pipes – perhaps a mixture of both. Over the grass, the blanket of snow was melting in a more leisure pace, revealing the soft white petals of snowdrops as though heralding an end of the blizzard that seemed to be a figment of the past for the flowers.

Heading towards the main entrance doors of the castle, the King lowered his gaze to find the silently seething Princess glaring at one of his buttons like it had offended her, the irritation becoming more noticeable when he chuckled in amusement.

The door guards greeted the King respectfully, confusion underlying their voices but he paid no heed as the doors swung opened to admit them in, and they were greeted by the pleasant warmth of the indoors.

'_He may have won this battle, but I'll prove who's stronger here…umm…maybe another day,' _she hastily added, looking away from the two door-guards, one of whom had been fast asleep was very much wide awake now. They were openly gawking at her from their awkward bowing position, as Atobe confidently strode past them.

And it wasn't just the guards.

Akemi soon discovered that being carried around the many corridors in the arms of their monarch was something extraordinary, and worthy to momentarily forget about their duties as they paused to stare after them (specifically her). To her dismay, she might have unwillingly become the latest target for gossip material.

Yet, the King seemed to remain unfazed by all of these attentions.

She couldn't tell if he was enjoying it or just pretending he didn't hear, as she was so busily studying his moonstone buttons with forced interest (though the opalescence was really mesmerising); the strong rhythm of his heartbeat slowly lulling her into sleep.

Hushed whispers from the few servants, who were on night duties, drifted to her ears as they headed down another long corridor, which Akemi only realised it led to her bedchamber when Atobe was greeted by her door-guard.

"Open the door, Kabaji."

"Usu!"

As he stepped into the warm room through the opened doors, a curious Akemi twisted her head around and peeped out from behind the cape's fur.

The first thing she saw was the canopied bed.

Whatever exhaustion instantly vanished as previous thoughts on his _'ulterior motives' _and _'producing heirs' _popped up in her mind, shortly followed by naughty images that made her blushed furiously and become increasingly flustered as he _almost _deliberately stepped towards the bed.

She started wriggling forcefully inside the cape, despite his inhumane strong hold. "H-hang on! What are you…?" she trailed off, blinking in puzzlement when she was gently set down on the comfortable carpet, in front of a happily roaring fire.

The King raised an eyebrow at her tomato face as he crouched down to her eye-level. "Were you expecting something?"

If possible, her blush deepened. "N-nothing…" she muttered, lowering her eyes to the carpet and loosening the cape around her enough so that she could finally move her limbs.

Without warning, an unusually restless lady-in-waiting burst into the room.

At the sight of Akemi sitting on the carpet with the King beside her, she breathed a long sigh of relief. "Oh, thank goodness you have found her! Wh-what happened to the Princess?" Sakamoto regarded the girl, who looked absolutely dishevelled with water dripping from her messy hair to her face, and the drenched carpet through her glasses in a mixture of shock and disbelief.

"Fell into the lake. Get the maids to fill up the bathtub, and bring lots of towels and a fresh change of clothes with them."

"Y-yes, Keigo-sama!" Immediately gathering herself, the lady-in-waiting did a hasty curtsey and left the room in a hurry, closing the door behind her.

An awkward silence stretched between them after the lady-in-waiting's departure as Atobe, crouching in front of the fireplace, strengthened the fire with a few more logs and poker, while Akemi dried up on the carpet.

She shot a worried look at his back; having caught a glimpse of his soaked clothes, undoubtedly from carrying her.

"Ummm…. Hey –!"

The rest of her protest was muffled as he attacked her face with the handful of cape he had abruptly torn away from her hands.

Akemi struggled against him, but the hand holding the back of her skull firmly prevented her from moving her head as he attempted to wipe the moisture and the strands of wet hair away from her face.

It felt like a long period of time had passed before he deemed his work satisfactory and allowed her to glare reproachfully at him; a comical sight, but he would rather bring it up another day.

But the anger was replaced by puzzlement as she studied him closely.

The King seemed to be struggling with getting his words out, or perhaps just trying to find the right words.

At last, he opened his mouth and said –

"Take a bath, have your meal and go to sleep. Tomorrow morning, ore-sama will meet you at the conservatory. You will enlighten ore-sama with details about the trappers, your brother bear and his capture. The three sentries should arrive from the moorland by noon with reports from their reconnaissance mission. It may or may not give clues to the whereabouts of the Royal Adviser, but it's worth a shot."

Just like back at the moorland, all she could do was stare mutely at him as he gently brushed away the last strands of hair from her face, his fingers roaming lingeringly on her right cheek before removing his hand. In a swift movement, he rose to his feet and left her bedchamber without another glance back.

Akemi remained sitting on the carpet floor in a stupor, wrapped in the fur-lined cape that had now fallen off her shoulders, and gazing listlessly at the doors he had closed behind him.

When she went to bed later that night, warm and drowsy from the bath and hot food, a part of her felt strangely at ease despite the uncomfortably low neckline of her chemise, as though a huge burden had been taken off her shoulders.

The King might not have directly told her, but Akemi suspected it, while mulling over his words in the bath, that he had already started gathering logistics for the search, even before summoning her to the throne room. After asking a _very _reluctant Sakamoto and a brief visit from the Chancellor, she had no doubts about it.

Pulling the duvet up to her chin, she rolled onto her side and glanced over at the portrait of the White King.

After their little drama at the lake, Akemi was starting to see him in a new light; one that he hid so well beneath that inflated ego.

Was she going to admit it to him?

Nah; she told herself. Secrets were best kept to oneself.

Plus, she was going to make him regret it tomorrow.

Eyelids fluttering to a close, a smirk crossed her features as though she could already smell the victory.

And for the first time since waking up in this strange world, Akemi was not plagued by any strange memories, dreams or nightmares, and she slept through the night peacefully.

* * *

**References:**

***Eilean = Island, Caisteal = Castle; Isle of Castle, since Atobe's castle is built on an island**

***For Atobe's royal attire, it's practically the same as the card version of 'Atobe Kingdom', just different colour schemes. Have inserted the link to the picture on my profile! ;) **

**Cameos explained:**

***Oshitari = Royal Chancellor of Geamhradh**

***Other Hyotei regulars = Part of the King's Guard**

***Sakamoto = The lady-in-waiting. She's actually a nurse working at Rikkai, but her no-nonsense personality just seems apt for this role. (refer to chapter 13 of 'Bright Side of Life')  
**

***Michael = In the dream universe, Atobe's butler is the head of the household staff and the King's personal attendant. **


	4. Conciliation

**References****: Samhradh = Summer, Geamhradh = Winter, Foghar = Autumn, Earrach = Spring**

**Enjoy ~**

* * *

'_The guardian  
of your young slumber—  
The gateway to adulthood is tightly shut'_

Excerpt from 'Your Silver Garden', by Kajiura Yuki

XXX

His fingers lingered uncertainly on the doorknob as though having second thoughts about leaving the Princess alone, even if the lady-in-waiting was due to return soon.

But Atobe knew they both needed a bit of space after tonight. He'd presumed she would have asked him to stay if she didn't feel the same. He knew from personal experience the Princess was the type who's not afraid to speak out her mind, despite her own reservations.

A small smirk worked its way across his lips. Having a break from all the constant niceties was rather refreshing, to say the least

After another moment of hesitation, he removed his hand and pressed it on his forehead, where a dull hammering was knocking against his skull. Today had been a long day, and he's looking forward to a much needed rest.

Smiling a little at that thought, he made to turn around when he was alerted to a familiar presence by a shadow falling over his form.

"What is it you want?" Atobe sighed exasperatedly, turning to see Oshitari standing at the corridor and looking for all the world like he had just arrived. But the King knew otherwise. He eyed the Chancellor suspiciously with a scowl, arms crossed over his chest. "Were you eavesdropping on ore-sama?"

Oshitari raised an eyebrow at the curt greeting. "Charming as usual. How did it go with the Princess?" he interjected smoothly before Atobe could voice his annoyance.

Atobe didn't reply immediately, choosing instead to walk away from the double doors with Oshitari beside him. "Well," he replied shortly, knowing Oshitari was asking if he had apologised to her.

It was the half-truth; but at least the Princess didn't look like she wanted to claw his face again when he'd indirectly revealed his intention to help her. Apologising was just something he rarely did (if ever), since he had never encountered situations that required him to do so…until today.

Judging by the knowing grin on the Chancellor's face, Atobe (groaning inwardly) immediately knew he had taken his reply differently.

"Wow, methinks a congratulations is in order. You've progressed much with the little princess, though –"

"Apart from those repulsive imaginations," the King began through gritted teeth, balling his hands into fists in an attempt to reign in his temper. His face was an odd mixture of red and purple. "Does your horrible excuse of a brain carry any useful information at all? Like how to _permanently_ seal your mouth shut!?"

"Think of it this way – I wouldn't be Chancellor if I don't," Oshitari pointed out with a snigger before quickly sobering up. "But be honest, did you or did you not apologise to the Princess before taking her back to the castle?" In a way, he had just admitted to eavesdropping on their conversations outside her bedchamber.

"Why does it bother you so much?" he narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the Chancellor.

Oshitari needlessly adjusted his round glasses before replying. "Let's just say; I'm doing this for your own good, Keigo – call it a favour if you'd like. You've done enough damage for the day as it is; which is why I suggested that you sincerely apologise to her and come clean about it. Surely, it's best for the both of you to reconcile if you're going to work together, _and_ wouldn't you like to remediate the impression you left her?"

Atobe fell into a pensive silence, gripping his chin as he mulled it over.

Oshitari's right about needing good teamwork, but the last words stuck out the most like a nasty blemish. It wouldn't sit well with him if she still thought of him as a swine, and he really need to make it up to her for...well all those horrible things he'd done.

'_Ore-sama will show her who _THE _compassionate King really is!' _he grinned wildly after settling on a decision, recalling the moment she had openly praised the King of Earrach.

He smirked; pleased that his secret plan was progressing in the right direction. A plan was taking shape in his head as Oshitari listened attentively to the King rambled on about the flawless tactics he's going to pull in front of the Princess tomorrow.

"– and then she will _finally_ understand why they call ore-sama, Keigo the Magnificent!" Atobe cackled almost sinisterly like a villain; except his intentions wasn't one to be frowned upon.

The methods though, left much to be desired.

Oshitari sighed inwardly. _'I want to say this doesn't bode well for either of them, but at least he is following through my advice.' _

After bidding each other farewell outside the King's bedchamber, the Chancellor hastily retraced his steps back down the corridor, hoping the little Princess was still awake for his surprise visit.

XXX

Akemi rose from bed the next day with a large smile, feeling strangely giddy and refreshed from a good night's sleep. It had been _too long _since she could wake up without feeling like she was chased down an endless strip of road by someone with a chainsaw all night.

But part of it was due to the prospect of seeing the look on the King's face. If all went well according to the devious Chancellor, she would have her _sweet_ revenge.

Not even the King's humongous portrait could dampen her mood.

The two handmaidens paused in the middle of tidying up the room (despite Akemi's protest) to exchange bemused glances before casting similar pensive looks at the wooden screen, behind where their new mistress occasionally burst into random fits of giggles in the bath.

Slowly, but surely, they glanced back at each other, wearing the same meaningful looks and eyes wide as platters that screamed – _"No!?" "Yes!" "Do you think they'd?" "Maybe!" _

Just as they were very close to squealing in delight, a sharp cough from a certain lady-in-waiting forced them to resume their work and not to delve into groundless gossips.

Then again, even Sakamoto couldn't resist sparing the partition a raised eyebrow when the handmaidens' backs were facing her.

After being helped into the ivory dress, Akemi stepped up to the floor mirror, which stood by the vanity, to check her appearance. The girl reflected in the mirror smiled back at her.

"Was this handpicked by the King as well?" she turned to ask the lady-in-waiting, gesturing at the silken dress.

The matronly woman in question blinked in surprise; for she had not expected the Princess to know that piece of information. "Yes, it was. Is the dress to your taste?" she politely enquired.

Akemi nodded, studying the dress. Gradually, her eyes gained a far-off look as her mind strayed to a particular memory from last night; one which involved the King twirling her.

"– are you listening, your Highness?"

Akemi jumped in fright at Sakamoto's voice; and in the process, accidentally knocked her ankle against one of the mirror's legs.

Let's just say, hitting any parts of your body on a solid marble object wasn't exactly nice.

"Ouch…" she whimpered through tears, massaging her poor ankle as she stood awkwardly on one foot. "It's fine; nothing's broken," she laughed sheepishly, waving away the two handmaidens who were fretting over her.

The lady-in-waiting sighed exasperatedly. "I hope you can refrain from injuring yourself in the near future, else the King will be utmost displeased."

'_Displeased might be the understatement of the century,'_ Akemi amended in a dry manner, grimacing as she gingerly placed her foot back on the ground.

She was saved from another lengthy chastisement by a knock.

"Is the Princess ready?" a familiar voice called from behind the double doors.

At a yes from the lady-in-waiting moments later, the Chancellor entered the room. He stopped at a respectful distance, eyes moving up and down behind his glasses at her appearance. Despite the modest design, the dress flattered her figure perfectly.

A smirk tugged at his lips, but it was cleverly covered from view behind a hand as he gave his glasses a brief push. "An excellent choice, Keigo; though I do hope you're prepared to have a hard time."

"I'm sorry? Didn't catch that," Akemi politely asked, unsure of what he had muttered under his breath.

Oshitari cleared his throat in cold sweat. "I said good morning," he hastily corrected with a grin.

'_Good morning seemed a bit too short,' _she narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him, but shrugged it off and politely greeted him back.

Sighing inwardly in relief, Oshitari moved aside to allow her exit the bedchamber first. "Shall we, Princess? The King is already waiting at the conservatory where breakfast will be served."

XXX

They walked in relative silence, only the soft echoes of their footsteps mingled with the quiescence morning.

"Am I late?" Akemi asked Oshitari out of the blue.

"You're not," he assured her, casting a smile over his shoulder. "The King just needs time to mentally prepare for what's to come – if you get what I mean." He sent her a discreet wink behind his glasses before turning his head back around to face the front.

"O-oh," she replied half-heartedly.

She walked with her eyes downcast, using the pair of feet in front of her as a guide. A knot was starting to twist itself in the pits of her stomach. It was a feeling she couldn't place, and suddenly she was having second thoughts about leaving her room.

Whatever previous cheeriness gradually dissipated with each steps as the silence allowed her mind to freely wander.

Frankly, she wasn't sure what went through her head when she'd agreed to Oshitari's plan. When the Chancellor had dropped by for a brief visit last night with a cunning plan, she was all very eager for dishing up a nice revenge fit for a King.

Thinking back, Oshitari had appeared absolutely thrilled by her reply, even if it was just a grin, but now she couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something else he's hiding.

She sighed dismally. _'How did I let myself get rope into this mess again?' _

It wasn't long until they'd arrived at the doors to the conservatory.

'_This is it,'_ she gulped, steeling herself as two door-guards opened the door for them, bathing the corridor in morning light, and her nose was immediately assaulted by a mixture of intoxicating fragrances.

Shielding her eyes against the light with her hand, she followed Oshitari into the conservatory. She waited a few more seconds to remove her hand, and gasped.

In the half-hypnotised state, her feet slowed down, but she remained oblivious to the lengthening distance between her and the Chancellor, and to the butterflies fluttering around her as she stared at the imposing snow-capped mountains behind the glazed building. Craning her neck without cricking it, she studied the forbidding formations with awe written all over her face.

A small twinge of fear clenched in her throat, imagining how a fall from their peaks would look like. _'Well, I'm glad I didn't end up trekking through them. One stupid mistake, and it's goodbye world.'_

Shaking her head in attempt to clear her mind, she lowered her gaze to glance around the vicinity instead.

On both sides, the sett path was lined with trimmed white rose hedges that towered slightly above her head. Statues of various animals and benches that looked like a work of art themselves were placed at intervals to give a spacious allusion. Aside from these, there wasn't much to see beyond the tall floral walls. But she soon corrected herself.

A large gazebo stood at the end of the path; most likely where breakfast was going to be held at. Ahead of her, Oshitari was casually heading towards the two figures underneath the gazebo's roof, but only one particular person caught her attention.

Akemi faltered in her steps until she'd eventually forgotten to walk altogether.

A restless King was pacing back and forth with a deep frown, muttering something rapidly to Michael, who nodded every now and then. In terms of design, Atobe's attire was similar to last night's, though he was wearing a military tailcoat in favour of the waist-length jacket. The fur-lined cape was absent, having been sent for washing along with her ivory dress.

Spotting Akemi in the distance, Michael cleared his throat and pointed in her direction.

Atobe halted in mid-pacing, snapping his head up from scorching the ground with the frown to turn his piercing dark blue eyes at her. Whatever vexed him instantly vanished as his face visibly lit up at the sight of her. What seemed to be relief briefly flashed in his eyes before a large grin of delight spread across his features, though seemingly remembering who he was, he toned it down a notch, recomposing himself to appear more dignified, if not majestic.

Gloved hands folded neatly behind and his back straight, Atobe descended the short flight of steps and began to walk towards Akemi with long and purposeful strides, matching the look burning in those dark blue eyes.

Akemi stood rooted on the spot, even though every instinct was telling her to run or at least retreat as far back to the doors.

But the moment he stopped for a deep bow and reached out to hold one of her hands to his lips, it was already too late to turn back.

After pressing his lips lightly on her knuckles, he lifted his head to stare straight into her eyes. Akemi tried not to squirm under his gaze, which was brimming with sincerity.

"A good morning to you, my lady," he presented a white rose he had seemingly whipped out from thin air. "You look exquisite in this dress. Did you sleep well?"

Not trusting herself to speak, Akemi nodded mutely while taking the offered rose from him with her free hand, since he was still holding her other one.

Pleased at the reply, he smirked out of habit. "Ore-sama's delighted you're able to join us for breakfast." Letting go of her hand, he turned sideways and held his arm out. "Come, let us make haste. The food will arrive as soon; Ore-sama guarantees you will love it," he added with a wink.

Any day, Akemi would retch at such a flirtatious gesture (even if he meant well), but today was _not _'any day'.

Biting her lip, Akemi snuck an uncertain glance over at the gazebo where the Chancellor now stood by himself. Michael had earlier taken the cue to alert the kitchen.

Catching the look, Oshitari sent her a fleeting smile of encouragement, but it didn't do much to alleviate the anxiety swirling inside her stomach.

Taking a deep breath for courage, she gingerly placed her hand around his elbow – a little uncertain at first since nobody had ever offered to escort her arm in arm – and allowed herself to be led towards the gazebo.

But before they'd reached the stairs, Atobe abruptly stopped, causing her to do the same.

He gently removed her hand from his arm. Then in a fluid movement, he turned around to face her and stooped down on one knee, holding her hand tenderly in his gloved one as he stared intently into her eyes.

If the Chancellor had not forewarned her, Akemi would have thought he was going to propose to her, and this wouldn't have gone down well for the King. Though she could have sensed something was off from the sudden shift to a solemn atmosphere.

She clutched her other hand to her chest, gripping the rose tightly as the uncomfortable knot began to twist again.

"Please, do not be frightened, my Lady," Atobe assured, gently squeezing her hand as though willing her to stay. "Ore-sama have no intention to force you into a marriage – now or thereafter. Frankly speaking, ore-sama can empathise with your feelings on that subject. But last night was a huge mistake on ore-sama's part…perhaps we should start from the beginning. Ore-sama owes you an explanation after all."

Atobe inhaled deeply, the fatigue suddenly showing on his face.

A worried Akemi briefly wondered if he had trouble sleeping, but nodded for him to go on. Regardless of the Chancellor's warning, she wanted to hear it straight from his mouth.

The King smiled in appreciation, and then cleared his throat rather loudly. "My lady…"

As though acting on a signal, a violin struck up a slow and melancholic tune.

"…over the years, ore-sama have been curious about you." Akemi raised an eyebrow in puzzlement. "Do you know? Outside the palace walls, the existence of a Samhradh Princess and her name were all that's known throughout the four kingdoms. Nobody has ever seen her, and inadvertently Princess Akemi was shrouded in mystery. There's even a rumour that she's a shy palace ghost and the Emperor was the only person she'd ever communicated with."

He chuckled good-naturedly at the horrified expression, patting her hand. "Ore-sama assure you that was one of the most far-fetched stories ever to reach the castle. Why else would ore-sama made your brother's visits to Geamhradh difficult by prying information out of him?" He paused to sigh irately. "But he's always tight-lipped about you, only giving vague details on your progress with lessons, but never about _you_."

Akemi fought back a flinch when he brought his other hand to fully envelope hers.

"So ore-sama tried persuading him several times into allowing you to visit Eilean Castiel – at least just once – yet, he remained adamant to stick you within the confinements of the palace walls." He glossed over the fact that his old rival actually refused to give him a reason. He smirked wanly. "Imagine the look on your brother's face when he realises the sister he'd been trying to hide from ore-sama appeared right in Geamhradh."

There was a slight twitch in the corner of her lips like she was struggling not to laugh; but he didn't notice.

"Ore-sama was shocked and thrilled at the same time to finally meet the fabled princess." With a sigh, his eyes took on a grave look. "Though ore-sama wish the circumstances of our first meeting were slightly different; one that didn't involve you in danger and ended with the Royal Adviser's disappearance. From our brief exchange at the moorland, ore-sama gathered you share a fair portion of your brother's spirit, _but_ ore-sama wanted to know more. So after bringing you back to the castle, ore-sama had devised a method – well, more of a challenge – one that would surely reveal your true self."

"That _harsh _interrogation?" she asked softly in a neutral voice, triggering a sharp grimace from him.

Atobe nodded glumly. "It's the fault of ore-sama to let curiosity get better of me. Ore-sama should have known better, but ore-sama went too far and hurt your feelings. Not only that, ore-sama nearly caused your demise at the lake!" he fiercely said, squeezing her hand. He looked angry with himself. "Ore-sama should have stopped you from leaving the throne room, or hauled you back to castle. There were plenty of opportunities, yet ore-sama let them slipped past. Last night, ore-sama tried not to imagine what would happen if ore-sama had been a split second too late," he trailed off as an involuntary shudder crept up his spine.

Akemi briefly lowered her gaze to their clasped hands, noticing his hands were shaking slightly, but her mind only registered the warmth seeping through the gloves to caress her hand.

He shook his head vigorously, throwing off that horrible image, and lifted his head higher with a resolute air.

But when his mouth opened to speak, no words came out. One of his eyebrows gave a brief twitch. He tried again a couple of times to no avail, and only ended up peeved with himself.

The madly twitching eyebrow would have been a comical sight, if it wasn't for the gravity of the situation.

He cursed under his breath, realising too late he's uttered it in front of a lady, and started to fluster over that slip up.

"S-sorry!" He stopped abruptly, blinking in surprise. For a moment, he looked like was about to burst into a cry of triumph until a loud cough from the gazebo snapped him back to earth.

Clearing his throat, he took a deep breath and began in a steady voice. "My lady, ore-sama apologise for causing you unnecessary pain last night. _Please_," he gave her hand another squeeze. "Will you forgive ore-sama?"

There was a pregnant pause.

(Was it her, or does it seemed like the whole conservatory was holding its breath?)

The King waited patiently on bended knee, clutching onto her right hand with his larger ones. Occasionally he gave her hand a squeeze that was firm and _almost_ pleading – just like his eyes.

Akemi lowered her head and snuck a glance out from the corner of her eyes over to the gazebo. Oshitari bobbed his head curtly in a nod, lightly hitting his chin on the violin he was playing. _'Go on!' _he mouthed, winking.

Biting on her lower lip, she glanced at their clasped hands then at the white rose in her grip.

"_Will you forgive ore-sama?" _

Such a simple request – one which Akemi had long prepared an answer to. Then why was she hesitating?

If anything the past taught her was that there's a tendency for pride to make it difficult for a person to admit their wrongs or seek for forgiveness. She knew it must have taken a lot of nerves for the King to do this.

"I-I…" she stuttered, but he took no notice, if the large grin was of any indication.

"Aye?" gushed Atobe, grinning madly; not knowing he had mistaken the 'I'. He jumped to his feet, gripping her one hand almost possessively, and he was _this _close to pull her into a tight hug when he noticed the troubled look. His grin waned slightly. "Are you alright, my lady?" he asked, genuinely concerned.

The knot in her stomach twisted and turned convulsively until she couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm sorry," she whispered softly, pulling her hand free to clutch her hands together tightly over her chest.

Stunned to the point of speechlessness, Atobe could only stand frozen on his spot with arms awkwardly stretched towards her, wearing a really stiff grin. It felt like eons had passed before his lower jaw dropped to the ground.

"_I'm sorry?" _he echoed in a hollow voice; eyes wide with disbelief. He grabbed her shoulders and briefly shook them. "What do you mean _'I'm sorry'_?" He shook her shoulders again. "Neh; answer ore-sama."

Akemi hung her head in shame, her long fringe sweeping over her face. "I…just…can't do this," she muttered under her breath, but Atobe being very close, heard every single word.

"Why!?" he was yelling furiously now, trying to see past the dark curtain of hair to no avail. Of all the indignity! He had swallowed every inch of his ego to put up with this act just so that she could appreciate him more – but only for her to turn down his apology!?

"I…can't…." she shook her head dismally, shrinking back slightly from his touch. "How can I be _this _spiteful?" she seemed to reprimand herself.

Now Atobe was confused. He stopped trying to shake some sense into her to stare in complete bafflement instead.

"It's true you were an insensitive lard last night; playing with my emotions and all. We could've talked like _normal _people, but _YOU –_", she suddenly yanked his collar, causing him to stumble closer to a halt, just so she could start pounding his chest weakly with her fists,"– just have to be a _drama_ king! Why do you have to be so overly frank!?" she demanded ferociously. "A-a-and–", she paused in the middle of her tirade to breathe in deep gasps of air, "– forget about the lake! I nearly died from guilt just now. Did you do that on purpose? Because if you did I'll –"

"AKEMI!"

The aforementioned girl stiffened in surprise at her name; one fist hovering an inch from pounding his chest.

"Can you stop it with your nonsense and hear ore-sama out!?" Atobe snapped, cupping her cheeks so hard, her lips were puckered at odd angles. His glare which had been previously ineffective prompted a jerky nod from Akemi. "Just _what_ are you blabbering on about!?" Then in a slightly lower and curious voice, he added with a frown, "What do you mean by 'dying from guilt'?"

Her face paled instantly. Incoherent noises issued from her throat, seemingly wanting to tell him something.

Atobe loosened his hands enough so that she could speak, but kept a firm grip beneath her jawbone such that she had no choice but to look at him. Raising an eyebrow, he tapped her cheek lightly with an index finger as though to say; _"I'm waiting"_

Back at the gazebo, a certain Chancellor smirked as he carried on playing the violin, despite being conveniently forgotten by his audience. Phase 2 of intervention was progressing perfectly; he noted with delight.

Akemi and Atobe stared at each other for minutes. Neither was aware of the almost non-existent gap between their bodies, or the several excited servants (including Michael) hiding behind the rose walls with breakfast in their hands. The head of the household staff had earlier shooed everyone into hiding upon walking in on what-they-believed was an intimate moment.

'_Hmm…there seemed to be a change of plans,' _mused Michael, rubbing his chin in a pensive manner.

Akemi was the first to break the long silence with a long sigh.

"It was Oshitari-san."

An ear-splitting, hair-raising noise akin to a strangled shriek of horror ensued. But a quick look over at the gazebo only showed a certain bespectacled young man had abruptly struck a wrong note halfway through a pianissimo interval.

Realising his plan had backfired in _the_ worst possible way, Oshitari set the violin and bow on the table and slowly backed away, but soon found himself pinned down on the spot by Atobe's death glare.

"Oh?" Atobe drawled, his hands slipping to rest on her shoulders in case Akemi was having the same thought. "Do pray tell; what does our _dear _Chancellor have to do with it? Hmm?"

Akemi swallowed nervously with a curt nod. "From what I could glean last night, you've already started to gather logistics even before I asked for the favour. But I wasn't sure about my speculations at first – probably because a small part of me was reluctant to hold onto that hope. So I pestered Sakamoto-san for the truth until she eventually relented and told me that I was right. Naturally, I wondered why you didn't bring it up at the throne room, and pretended to be a cold and heartless King instead." Her eyes glazed over with the memories. "Sakamoto-san wouldn't say anything more than I've already known, so I was left even more confused. That was until Oshitari-san stopped by."

The aforementioned Chancellor jerked nervously.

"After telling me about _this_," she waved one hand vaguely in the air before returning it to rest on his chest, "he asked if I was up for pranking you as revenge for hurting my feelings."

With how close they were standing, her forehead brushed against his chest when she bowed her head ashamedly. Akemi leaned her head on the soft fabric of his tailcoat, blissfully unaware of the wild rhythm of his heartbeat.

"Since the pain was fresh in my heart, I didn't give it a proper thought and eagerly said yes." Her eyes saddened slightly. "I was supposed to make you go through that apology with an apathetic façade, scoff when you ask for forgiveness, and then take my leave while ignoring your pleas. At any time, I could just turn around and say it was all a joke." She chewed her lips. "But doubts nagged at my conscience, to the point it morphed into guilt and shame. You were being so genuinely upfront that I couldn't help it," she added, chuckling glumly. "And when I recall all of your unspoken kindness – how you could've just let me drown, especially when I'd slapped you – I realised just how awful of a person I am."

She paused for a moment. "So for that, I'm sorry," Akemi murmured softly, closing her eyes in a silent prayer as she awaited judgment.

One minute…two…five…

'_What's taking him so long!?' _an increasingly irate Akemi wondered. _'Geez! Does he even know how much the guilt was eating me?'_ Then –

To her mortification, Atobe started to laugh hysterically, both of his hands clinging onto her shoulders to stay upright as he doubled up in mirth. _'Oh, the irony!' _he gripped his sides as tears pricked his eyes.

But an unaware Akemi blushed furiously. She glared flatly at him. "Oh so _you're _the one who's laughing now? How dare you!"

Atobe broke off with an indignant shout, dextrously leaping away before Akemi could land a violent kick on his shin. After what happened last night, he was in no hurry to gauge the power of her other limbs.

"Stop –" the King barked hotly, dodging another kick "– trying – to – hit – ORE-SAMA!"

(Meanwhile, Oshitari took this momentary distraction to flee)

Akemi let out an involuntary cry of surprise when a pair of hands shot out and latched onto her ankle. She stumbled awkwardly on one foot for a heart-stopping moment until her flailing arms caught the bannister and held onto it.

"Let go!" she demanded, struggling to tug her foot free from the pincer-like grips.

"Not before you promise ore-sama to stop behaving like a child!"

Akemi glared reproachfully at him. "Say's the pretentious idiot who throws tantrums – making a big deal out of something as trivial as he's looks being insulted!"

(It was a small misunderstanding then, but neither of them knew)

There was a long pause as Atobe stared incredulously at her. Then, his face turned purple with seething rage. "There is NOTHING trivial about that!" he hissed. "But ore-sama thank you for the kind reminder," he added airily, catching her off guard.

"H-hey! What do you think you're doing!?" she spluttered fretfully, a blush creeping up her cheeks as Atobe slipped off the shoe in his hands and promptly threw it over his shoulder; unintentionally hitting Oshitari, who was quietly sneaking away, on the head.

He grinned evilly, wriggling his eyebrows, as did with his fingers before her bare foot. Never mind how wrong on all levels this must look, this was an excellent opportunity not to be wasted. "You will learn not to offend ore-sama anymore with your blind insults."

Akemi paled in horror as comprehension dawned on her. "W-w-wait! You don't have to d-do this!" she laughed sheepishly, trying in vain to wriggle free.

He tutted, shaking his head. "Where is the fun in that, my Lady? Hmm?" Atobe sniggered, clearly enjoying frightening her.

"Keigo-sama."

The fingers froze a centimetre from tickling her foot.

As one, the bickering couple slowly and painfully turned their heads around to the voice's owner.

"I apologise for the interruption, but the food will grow stale and cold if we delay any longer," a calm Michael motioned with a wave of his hand at the small line of servants shifting awkwardly with silver trays and a wicket basket in their hands. "Oh, and the Chancellor is on his way out as we speak if you still want to catch him," he gestured over his shoulder with a thumb.

"Right," Atobe drawled, helping Akemi upright. He smirked sinisterly. "He's the one who instilled such nonsense in your head. Fear not, he will be taken care of, my Lady," he vowed, swooping down to grab the white rose that had earlier fallen off her grasp, and tucked it safely behind her ear.

At a snap of his finger, the servants scurried to the gazebo and began the task of setting up the table.

"What were you thinking? Have you no faith in ore-sama, Chancellor-san?" asked Atobe, casually strolling down the path.

"Au contraire, I merely wanted to help," Oshitari chuckled nervously, throwing up his hands in a defensive manner.

Atobe rolled up his sleeves up to his elbows, lengthening his strides; his blue eyes ablaze with anger. "How is ruining ore-sama's perfect plan exactly helping? HAAARH!?"

The Chancellor chuckled again before turning to Akemi, who was putting on her shoe. "What would your reaction be if the servants jump out from behind the hedges, and start dancing around the two of you while showering petals and singing praises on top of their voices?" he asked rapidly, gazing almost pleadingly at her.

Atobe abruptly halted in his steps with a look of horror. Then, with a furious yowl, he grabbed a fistful of the Chancellor's jacket. "That's meant to be a surprise, you knuckle-head!" he yelled indignantly, shaking Oshitari violently. "Ore-sama spent the entire night picking a song and preparing the petals for the shower! What's the point of it when you've given _everything_ away!?"

Behind them, Akemi hummed thoughtfully, running through different scenarios in her head as she strolled towards the two at a leisure pace. "I probably will faint from the shock and then run away. It's quite humiliating just thinking about it," she admitted aloud, causing Atobe to inhale sharply.

Oshitari breathed a sigh of relief when the grips on his clothes disappeared. Straightening his glasses that had gone askew, he turned around and casually walked away.

A small part of Atobe's subconscious mind was aware that Akemi had halted in front of his petrified form. He had been certain (0% doubts) she would be grateful of his hard work, and _maybe _(wishful thinking) start looking at him through adoring eyes. (Okay, perhaps not over-adoringly so)

Nothing – _nothing _– prepared him for this kind of rejection. Although that part of his master plan didn't exactly materialise as he wished, his ego couldn't help but let out an animalistic cry of anguish.

Little did he know, she was about to prove him wrong.

"Do you always have weird imaginations, Keigo-kun?" Akemi asked in puzzlement, inwardly surprised at how natural uttering his name was for her. "Because believe it or not, some of us like a sense of normalcy," she wagged a finger directly in front of his unblinking eyes, "But all the same, I _truly _appreciate the thoughts and efforts. Thank you," she beamed happily before engulfing a dazed Atobe in a bear hug. "And I forgive you for being silly."

XXX

After finishing the scrumptious breakfast and their teacups were taken away, the two friends left the gazebo behind for a leisure stroll around the large greenhouse.

Oshitari was nowhere to be seen, having stealthily left the conservatory whilst a (happily) distracted Atobe was returning the hug. In the end, he didn't have to resort to using the 'I'm not feeling well' lie at the table to ensure the two were left alone for the entire day.

But they weren't exactly alone since Michael was acting as their chaperone.

Throughout Akemi's account on the Emperor and the trappers who caught him, Atobe didn't interrupt once and held his chin with a hand in a contemplative manner. She was left slightly out of breath at the end of it, so a quick stop by the drinking fountain was in order.

After that, Atobe took her on a tour around the greenhouse – partly, to distract her from the terrible memories. He had seen the haunted look in her eyes the few times she thought he wasn't looking.

Meanwhile, Akemi hadn't felt this relaxed since waking up this morning, attributing to the fact that she and Atobe had forgiven each other…though there was a growing urge to take it all back.

"Look! Do you see that?" Atobe pointed at something, pulling along an uninterested Akemi by the arm.

Sighing exasperatedly, Akemi reluctantly crouched beside the fish pond's waterfall to admire…his reflection.

It was painfully obvious he had not given up on changing her opinion on his looks.

"All I see are fishes, Keigo-kun," she said in a deadpan voice, not bothering to spare the pond a glance. _'Somebody please get me out of here.' _

"Well, look closer!" He placed a hand behind her head and forced her to look directly at the waterfall, where Akemi's unimpressed expression and Atobe's rather smug one were reflected on the curtain of fast-flowing water. "See? Even on a distorted surface, ore-sama can still manage to look incredibly breath-taking." As if to prove his point, he flicked his hair. "Don't you agree?"

'_I feel like throwing up'_ – was what she wanted to say, but decided against it, knowing he wouldn't take too kindly to that kind of joke. Then, she was hit by a brilliant idea. It would be less painful for him.

With a tried sigh, she stood up and turned around. "Can we please go for a walk somewhere else? Or is your castle _lacking _in the entertainment department?"

Atobe jumped to his feet as though electrocuted. "WHAT!?" he shrieked incredulously. In a cloud of dust, he reappeared right in front of Akemi, breathing heavily. "Are you implying ore-sama's a bad host!?" he barked, shaking a fist.

She placed a finger on her cheek, walking around him. "Hmm...Not bad at all. _Terrible _is the more appropriate word."

Atobe whirled around with another shriek, but Akemi was already nonchalantly strolling away, humming cheerfully to the butterflies fluttering above their heads. It didn't take him long to realise she was only teasing him.

His hands balled into fists. "W-why you…," he sputtered angrily, "Ore-sama will get you for this!" With that, he charged towards her at full speed, arms stretching out like a zombie and all.

Akemi spun around in alarm at the sound of rapid footsteps and the loud growl, and actually screamed in horror. She waved her hands frantically about, hastily stumbling backwards from the imminent attack. "W-w-w-wait! I'm sorry –"

But just as he was about to pounce on her, grinning triumphantly, something _large_ zipped past her legs in a blur of white and brown. Suddenly, Atobe vanished from her line of sight.

Akemi blinked, unsure if that was a mirage or a magic trick…until someone at her feet burst into fits of laughter.

Curious, she lowered her gaze and quickly slapped a hand to her mouth to muffle the giggles.

His legs thrashing wildly in the air, a certain King was fending off a hairy beast of a dog without much success. "S-s-stop! B-beat – No! B-bad dog! Baaad –" Atobe abruptly broke off, laughing uncontrollably as tears welled up in his eyes, but Beat continued to attack his face with more licks. "D-don't you just stand there – HELP!" he gasped, one quivering finger pointing at Akemi.

"I appreciate the kindness, but I would rather not lick your face – thank you very much," she curtsied mockingly, leaving him to the dog's mercy for a few moments before carefully sitting down on her knees beside Atobe's head.

"Wh-what are you –?" he asked between gasps, cold sweat trickling down his head at the look in her eyes.

"You never strike me as someone who's extremely ticklish," Akemi smiled slyly, reaching over with a hand to pat Beat's head. The dog paused for a brief moment to lick her wrist affectionately before turning back to his master.

Atobe flushed furiously, sputtering nonsense, but inhaled sharply at her hand now hovering over his bare neck. "D-don't you dare!" he ordered heatedly.

"Sorry, I'm not one of your subordinates. Thus, I am allowed to disobey you," Akemi casually informed, wearing the same evil grin he wore. "Now where shall I begin?" she mused aloud, deliberately taking her sweet time to choose a perfect spot.

Weighed down by his own dog, Atobe could only watch with growing horror as the fingers drew closer to his lower jawbone.

But as before, Michael intervened at the right moment with a polite cough, thus preventing what was going to be a very painful memory for Atobe.

"Keigo-sama. Viscount Takeda is at the castle, and wishes to speak to you regarding the recent tax change," Michael informed as a familiar guard drowsily plodded back to his post after conveying the message.

"Now?"

"He said he needs to return home for an urgent appointment he can't afford to be late for."

Atobe scowled, looking absolutely displeased. _'And he couldn't have sent a carrier pigeon to the castle beforehand?' _He glanced over at Akemi, visibly torn between his duty as King and accompanying her.

"Don't worry about me, Keigo-kun," she smiled warmly, seemingly reading his thoughts. "I'll be fine with Beat here. Neh?" She scratched the dog behind an ear.

The dog barked affirmatively, leaning into her touch as his curly tail wagged happily.

A tiny part of his heart was envious of his dog, but he quickly shooed such thought away. Atobe drew a long sigh, reluctantly resigning to his duty, and helped Akemi to her feet.

"Ore-sama won't be long," he promised her, straightening his tailcoat. "Turning to Michael, he said, "In the meantime, take her around the castle. If she wants to look around the castle grounds, make sure she wears a cloak."

"Understood," Michael dipped his head respectfully.

After giving Beat a good scratch, Atobe took Akemi's right hand and kissed it lightly. "Well then, ore-sama's off, my Lady." His stomach did a strange somersault when the pale face broke into a warm smile.

"It's not like you're going on a long journey," she chuckled good-naturedly, "but good luck with that Viscount. I'll see you later."

XXX

After seating themselves down behind the ornate writing desk at Atobe's private study, a couple of maids came in carrying a tray of tea and biscuits.

"I apologise for taking up your time, your Majesty" the Viscount began, nodding his thanks to the maid as his teacup was filled. "I was in town, and thought this is an opportunity not to be wasted – what with the lake thawed and the blizzard ended."

"No matter," Atobe waved a hand dismissively, stirring his tea with a teaspoon. In actual fact, he was tempted to say otherwise.

The Viscount propped his elbows on the table, interlaced his fingers and leaned in slightly over the desk; his eyes brimming with curiosity. "While I was waiting at the hallway, I overheard a servant mentioning a young lady, who you've quite recently taken under your wings. Is this true?"

Atobe grunted affirmatively as he raised the teacup to his lips.

"I do not wish to pry, but are you perchance courting said young lady?"

The reaction was immediate.

Atobe choked into his tea, almost spitting the entire hot contents out.

XXX

Akemi had always wanted to meet the grey horse in the portrait hanging on her room's wall, so a stop by the stables was in order.

It's safe to say both horse and master were equally proud; not like Winchester denied her any stroke along his luscious mane or anything like that. But it was obvious how much Atobe had spoiled the horse.

As soon as she so shifted her attention to his neighbour or Beat, Winchester would whinny on top of his lungs and kick the door of his box stall until an exasperated Akemi gave him a nice pat on the neck.

'_Wish Keigo-kun's here so I can tease him,'_ she chuckled dryly, scratching one furry ear. _'They're both such attention seekers.' _

After promising a bag of apples for the intelligent horse on the next visit, the company left the stables behind and headed back to the castle.

"Is it always snowing in Geamhradh?" Akemi asked inquisitively, holding out a gloved hand to catch a falling snowflake. _'Thank goodness, it's only a light flurry. Can't imagine the horrors of walking in a blizzard.' _

"Not everywhere. But it does up on the summits," Michael pointed over to the sharp peaks of the mountains in the distance. "Compared to the southern border, we're on higher grounds, so it's natural for it to be cold throughout the seasons." he paused to nod at the door-guards as they were admitted back into the castle.

Handing the cloak to him, Akemi blinked in puzzlement, noticing the grim look on the aged face.

"However, it shouldn't be snowing here at this time of year," he admitted as they ascended a flight of stairs with Beat closely behind. "Geamhradh is known for its long winters, but this prolonged condition is unusual even by our standards."

"So it has never been like this? When did this phenomenon happen?"

They paused at the top of the stairs.

"About a year ago…" he trailed off, eyes flickering around the empty hallway for a few moments before speaking in a lower voice, "I would say around the time of the Red Queen's coronation"

'_A year ago? If I remember correctly, Nagi-kun said the Emperor and…the princess disappeared around that time.' _Akemi gripped her chin, subconsciously following Michael's lead to who-knows-where._ 'Could everything be related, or is it a coincidence?' _she frowned deeply._ 'This mystery is starting to go over my head. I just hope we can find Nagi-kun and the Emperor before I lose it too,' _she chuckled hollowly at such morbid image.

"…Akemi-sama?" Michael's voice broke into her thoughts, causing her to halt with a start.

Standing beside him was a young man – the Viscount, without a doubt (his expensive-looking attire said it all).

The moment he turned around and their eyes met, something deep inside her instinctively recoiled with a hiss.

The Viscount cracked a smile and greeted her courteously with a bow.

It took a massive amount of willpower not to run, but Akemi eventually greeted back as she pushed down the irrational fear.

Something brushed against her legs, nearly startling her, but it was only Beat. The dog crouched on his paws defensively in front of her, growling threateningly at the Viscount.

A small smirk crossed his lips, but it quickly vanished as soon as it came, making her wonder if she had imagined it.

"I'll see you around when I come for another visit. Good day, Michael," Takeda nodded at him.

"Safe journey back," Michael dipped his head.

Again, Akemi couldn't help but put on all her guards when they made brief eye contact as the Viscount walked past. It was only when the last of his hair vanished from her sight did she let go of the breath she didn't know she was holding.

"Are you alright, Akemi-sama?" Michael asked, concernedly. "You look unwell. Do you need a rest?"

"No, I'm good," she lied without missing a beat.

Michael raised an eyebrow, but didn't push further, and Akemi was grateful for it.

One of the many doors along the corridor opened, and a familiar face emerged from the room.

Atobe blinked for a moment as though not expecting them to be here, and beckoned them forward with a hand, though Beat took this as a cue to charge at his master again.

Chuckling at the scene, Akemi walked up to the King rolling helplessly on the ground with the dog licking up a storm. She crouched down beside him to stroke Beat's smooth pelt. "Come on, give him a rest," she tried to coax the dog, reaching over to scratch an ear. "He's too old for this."

Atobe made an unintelligible noise that sounded distinctively like an indignant yelp, causing her to double up in laughter.

Someone, clearly not Michael, cleared his throat very loudly.

"Should we come back tomorrow instead?" Oshitari grinned toothily, pushing up his glasses.

Behind him, stood the three sentries, who had just returned from the moorland, looking absolutely perplexed at what they're seeing.

XXX

"You have the _gall_ to show up, Yuushi," said Atobe, glaring over the rim of his teacup at the Chancellor calmly sitting across him from the desk. He was back at his study, now occupied by more people (and a dog, happily snoozing by his feet).

"I was under the impression you're grateful for saving you from being dumped on the spot."

Atobe flinched sharply at that ungentle reminder. He set down his cup on the saucer with unnecessary force. "Anyways – how did the search go?" he asked the three sentries standing bemusedly behind Oshitari and Akemi.

The three shifted uncomfortably, their eyes constantly flickering between the back of Akemi's head and Atobe. But a sharp glare promptly sent Hiyoshi forward.

Throughout the briefing, Akemi kept her eyes locked on the tea sitting idyllically on her lap, brushing the cup's rim with one finger absently. By the time Hiyoshi concluded the report and stepped back into the neat line, her heart felt so heavy, it wouldn't be shocking if it fell through her ribcage.

Not a single trace of Nagi could be found, nor were there any signs of where the vine monster came from…just a stupid burrow that abruptly ended on the Samhradh's side of the border.

"Thank you. You may all go and rest," Atobe dismissed them with a sharp nod. "Report to ore-sama first thing in the morning."

The sentries saluted sharply and left; Oshitari emulating them not long after.

But before he closed the door behind him, the Chancellor snuck a glance over his shoulder as Atobe walked around his desk to gently pry the cold tea from her hands, whispering words of encouragement to a silently grieving Akemi.

Oshitari smirked; maybe he should resign and start a matchmaking business instead.

XXX

Very rarely did Akemi turn down a lavish meal, only having room for a simple chicken soup for lunch – much to Atobe's frustration. But considering the situation, he prudently kept his temper in check.

Wearing a deep frown, he carefully pored over the several maps littered across his desk, marking crosses with a quill pen as Michael recited the locations of various nobles and wealthy merchants living in Geamhradh.

Atobe was glad the boss trapper was a complete idiot for revealing whom he intended to market her brother bear to. Thus, narrowing down their search to a few plots of land here and there, and saving precious time and effort.

Speaking of _her_…

Every now and then, Atobe would sneak a glance over to the lone figure sitting at the alcove with her head turned away from him to face the window. He'd done everything to console her, including vowing to continue searching even if it meant running into dead ends. Now only time could heal the heartache.

Akemi remained silently brooding in the armchair, keeping her eyes trained on a large silver bird circling high above the lake through heavy eyelids. Something tugged at one dusty corner of her memory as she watched the bird nosedived out of her view.

She quickly shook it off, and shifted her gaze to the snowflakes drifting gracefully behind the window.

When dinnertime arrived, the maps were temporarily removed and the writing desk was once more occupied by mouth-watering dishes. Beat was given his own in front of the fireplace where he had taken up a spot for his naps.

After fruitlessly enticing Akemi to join him at desk, Atobe resigned with a furious sigh, and firmly pushed a bowl of cabbage soup into her hands before occupying the armchair opposite her with a plateful of roast beef in his hands.

He made sure she finished the soup down to the dregs, surprising himself as he patiently waited. As soon as the desk was cleaned up after the meal, Atobe resumed working industriously on the maps.

As dusk approached, Akemi breathed a soft sigh and reluctantly rose from the comfortable seat.

Startled by the movement, Atobe snapped his eyes up just as she sank into the same armchair previously occupied by her during the briefing.

"Hi…" Akemi greeted the inkwell uncertainly, fiddling with the curly ends of her hair.

Twirling the quill pen between his fingers, Atobe propped an elbow on one of the maps and laid his chin on his hand. "Since when do stationeries start talking back?" he smirked, eyes glinting with amusement.

Her cheeks flushed a brilliant red. "I didn't ask for your 'humble' opinion," she grumbled sulkily, her lips slightly puckered in a pout.

Further to her mortification, he burst into laughter.

Atobe left it at that, fully aware of the fact she could kick his shins underneath the table anytime. Though a huge part of him was relieved some of Akemi's old fire was back.

XXX

The rest of the evening went by peacefully, and by the time Atobe declared it was way past her bedtime (much to Akemi's annoyance), the moon was hovering well above the mountain peaks.

They walked side-by-side in comfortable silence, nodding to servants they passed.

Atobe briefly peeked out from the corner of his eyes, and gulped a little nervously. He hesitated, wondering if he should bring it up.

"Surely I'm not _that _interesting?" Akemi piped up, having caught him a couple of times for furtively glancing at her. She raised an eyebrow when he jerked uncomfortably.

Atobe vented a sigh. Without a second thought, he suddenly dragged an alarmed Akemi to a dark corner and pushed her against the wall.

"Wha –!" Her protest was muffled by the hand clamping her mouth shut.

Atobe leaned in, closing any escape routes. "Michael told ore-sama about your brief encounter with Viscount Takeda," he stated in a low voice.

She visibly tensed up, eyes wide with horror.

He slowly withdrew his hand from her mouth to press it on the wall beside her head. "Well? Care to enlighten?"

"I don't understand what you're saying," Akemi muttered, pointedly looking away, but a firm grip on her chin forced her to look back up into his piercing dark blue eyes.

"You're a terrible liar, if that's what you are," Atobe scoffed with a flat glare. "Now, be honest with ore-sama. Did you feel uncomfortable around the Viscount?" She nodded after a moment of hesitation. "Why?"

"I...don't like him. But I don't understand why either," she admitted sheepishly, a faint blush on her cheeks. "It's like there's this strange unpleasant aura he gives out that made me want to avoid him at all costs…call it a gut instinct," she murmured almost incoherently; certain that he's going to laugh at her now.

He smirked, but it wasn't patronising or teasing; Akemi noted with relief.

"Don't worry about him, or anything else for that matter," assured Atobe, subconsciously rubbing her chin with a thumb. Truthfully, he felt extremely pleased that they shared the same opinion. Takeda had been nothing but a pain since inheriting the title from his late father a few months ago. "Just stay out of trouble and everything will be fine. Let ore-sama deal with it."

'_But trouble always seem to find its way to me,' _she amended dismally, allowing herself to be led by the arm down the rest of the long corridor.

Outside the double doors to her room, they bade each other good night. But for good measure, Akemi engulfed him in the second hug of the day, muttering her thanks.

She pulled away from him after a moment of hesitation. "Will we have breakfast at the conservatory?" She beamed happily when he nodded. "Sweet dreams."

Atobe caught a glimpse of the warm smile that made his stomach do another somersault before the door was shut. For a dubious amount of time, he stood staring at the closed doors in mild confusion.

Suddenly, he snapped out of his stupor, dropping the goofy grin. He whipped around and pointed an accusing finger at Kabaji, causing the door-guard to flinch slightly.

"If you're done hiding behind Kabaji, show yourself or ore-sama will come after you with a rapier!" Atobe spat angrily.

An irritatingly familiar voice tutted. "Yikes. You know very well not to lose your temper, Keigo," said Oshitari, calmly stepping out from his hidey-hole. Smirking, he pushed his glasses. "It makes you sound like a cranky _old_ man."

XXX

Her back leaning against the door, Akemi brought a hand up to smother the giggles at the distinct sound of a sniggering Chancellor running for his life with an enraged King hot on his trail.

Still giggling, she reached behind her ear to remove the white rose she had been wearing all day.

As though holding a delicate porcelain object, she carefully placed it on the bedside table, and made her way towards the wooden screen, where a tub filled with lukewarm rosewater waited.

Bathed and dressed in a nightgown, she crawled underneath the soft duvet to the portrait side of the overly large bed, and laid her head on a pillow with a soft sigh.

After a moment of deliberation, she reached over to the bedside table with one hand for the rose. A small smile tugged at her lips as she inhaled the flower's fragrance lingeringly.

Slowly, but surely, her eyelids began to flutter shut until she gave in to sleep.

XXX

Sometime after the moon had disappeared behind the mountain peaks, the flower resting on the girl's heaving chest silently slipped away from beneath her grasp, and floated in mid-air, seemingly on its own.

A shadow melded into existence beside the bed, and gradually morphed into a hooded figure. The mysterious person pressed a hand on the girl's forehead. An ethereal light began to glow underneath his touch, spreading from his palm to engulf the sleeping form in a thin coating of silver light.

Beneath the shadows of the hood, he smirked ominously, uttering a "Puri", at the white rose in his other hand before carelessly tossing it away.

The flower landed noiselessly on the sunken pillow occupied by the girl's head moments ago.

XXX

Groggily, Akemi sat up on the stone cold floor, propping her back against the wall, and glanced around the dingy room that was _most definitely _not her bedchamber.

Her head shot up at the sound of footsteps and jingling of keys coming from behind a door on the far side.

With a loud click, the door was unlocked and swung opened.

Her heart froze in dread as an awfully familiar figure stepped into the room.

"Well, look who's awake? Welcome to my humble abode, Princess," the Viscount sneered.

* * *

**Cameos explained:**

***Viscount Takeda = the second year from chapter 10 and 13 (Always Look on the Bright Side of Life), who sought revenge on Akemi.**

**Thank you for reading, and see you next chapter!**


	5. The Viscount's Bride

**A shout out to AmeYuuki and GlaresThatKill. Thanks for following and fav'ing Looking Glass! I hope the new chapter doesn't disappoint :) **

**Reference: Samhradh = Summer, Geamhradh = Winter, Foghar = Autumn, Earrach = Spring**

* * *

'…_Keigo-kun.'_

Atobe woke up with a start.

For what seemed like hours, he laid stock-still on the bed, his dark blue eyes staring in growing confusion at the dark silhouette of his bed's canopy. A frown slowly worked its way across his forehead; he could have sworn a familiar feminine voice was whispering his name…or was that a dream?

But more importantly, a part of him felt that something was amiss – something _very important._

Beyond the sound of his blood pounding, his ears picked up a soft whining accompanied by the scratching of claws on something solid.

After a moment of hesitation, he crawled out of his comfortable bed, threw on his dressing gown and plodded towards the distinctive shape of Beat, who was staring forlornly at the double doors.

"Why couldn't you have gone to the toilet beforehand?" Atobe sighed, opening a gap large enough for the dog to fit through. "Be quick, okay?"

But instead of rushing to the outdoors, Beat turned around and started to whine incessantly, gazing pleadingly up at his master.

Atobe raised an eyebrow. "You're a big boy. Surely, you don't need ore-sama to come with you?"

A look of exasperation briefly crossed the dog's features at the misinterpretation. Beat threw his head back and howled on top of his lungs.

"Beat! You're going to wake the whole castle if you don't stop doing that!" Atobe reprimanded crossly, but his words were easily drowned out by his dog. "Oh, fine!"

As soon as the door was shut behind them, the dog sank his teeth into the hem of the dressing gown and pulled Atobe along with him, much to the amusement of the guards they passed.

'_Why is he acting so weird all of a sudden?' _he frowned, then lifted his eyes from the dog. His eyebrows sprang up; recognising the double doors at the end of the corridor Beat was undoubtedly leading him to.

If toilet was (now obviously) not on his dog's agenda, then what was?

Eventually, Beat released the dressing gown and bounded up the doors. He looked at Kabaji once, but at a shake of the guard's head, the dog turned to his master, whining as he glanced repetitively from door to master.

It didn't take the latter long to put two and two together.

Atobe crossed his arms defiantly; a faint blush appearing on his cheeks. "_No_ way, Beat. She may not kill you, but ore-sama definitely will not be spared. If you want to see her so badly, wait until mor – BEAT!" he yelled, momentarily forgetting to keep his voice down when his dog slinked into the room after managing to open the door with his paws.

He ran after his dog in a moment of panic, but skidded to a halt right at the footboard of the bed.

The drapery were pulled aside and tied to the bed posts, thus giving him a clear view. In a trance-like state, he strode around the bed to the carpeted side of the room. He tentatively gripped a handful of the duvet. Taking a deep breath, he tore it off, half expecting a flustered Akemi to scream and throw pillows at him for entering her room without permission.

But all was calm even when Beat jumped onto the opposite side of the bed.

Dropping his gaze, Atobe spotted the creases on the bedding sheet as though someone had slept here.

_No _– he told himself – someone should be sleeping here. For some weird reasons, he knew a simple midnight stroll couldn't explain her absence.

He brushed the smooth fabric absently with one hand. The bedding was faintly warm underneath his touch, but to his eyes and heart, it was undeniably cold and empty. Quite suddenly, he stiffened in alarm at the distinctive sensation. For within the folds of the white sheet, there was a weak trace of magic.

It was quite some time later that he could find his voice box. "Did anyone enter or leave the room, Kabaji?"

"…no."

"I see…" Atobe trailed off; his dark blue eyes straying to the lonely flower lying on top of the pillow, which was sunken as though a head once rested on it. Beat crept up to the white rose, gave it a curious sniff, and sharply recoiled with a growl.

Scowling suspiciously, Atobe tenderly picked up the rose, but dropped it like hot iron to shield his eyes behind his hands when the rose suddenly flashed brightly. Beat leapt off the bed with a yelp.

Forgoing the risk of getting blinded, he peeped through the slits between his fingers. He only had a split second glimpse of shrivelling white petals as the silver flames consumed the flower before the light vanished with a soft hiss, leaving only the ashes of the flower by his feet.

XXX

The sun was barely peering over the mountains, and yet there was a flurry of activities in and around the castle as servants and guards scurried about in an orderly mess, shouting and gesturing at one another.

At the sound of approaching footsteps, the Chancellor tore his eyes from the window, and turned around as Ootori stumbled into the room.

"So? Anything?" he prodded in Atobe's stead, since the White King was noticeably lost in thoughts.

The sentry shook his head dismally. "We've searched everywhere, and there was no sign of a break-in or a struggle," Ootori gasped between breaths; his chest heaving with the effort.

"Do a double check then."

Ootori flinched at the snippy tone.

"This is the fifth time they've scoured the castle, Keigo," Oshitari vented a sigh. "Give them a break before they collapse from exhaustion."

"…fine. One hour," Atobe, now in his usual royal attire, muttered begrudgingly to the guard, "Relay the message to everyone including the servants."

"U-understood!" Ootori saluted sharply; relieved.

Oshitari waited for a few moments after the guard had left before turning back to the window. "She couldn't have up and left without a note now – could she?"

"That's preposterous! We've been through this already, Yuushi. Why would she leave in the first place?" Atobe retorted shortly, glaring at the small glass bottle that held the remains of the white rose in his hand. He _refused _to believe Akemi had simply walked out from under his nose. It just didn't make sense at all.

Oshitari merely shrugged. "Grieving heart and mind can delude someone into doing something reckless, especially when desperation comes into play. She might have left to search for her brother and Royal Adviser on her own."

"She was perfectly fine when ore-sama escorted her back – and _you_ were there too," Atobe grounded almost accusingly through gritted teeth. "If she _did _as you've claimed, then why did nobody witness her leaving her room? Kabaji never left his post."

"So we're reverting to the magic theory?"

"Unless you have a better idea?" Atobe scoffed. "The trace might have faded by the time you arrived, but the bed was definitely tainted with that stuff."

"Positively?"

"Absolutely."

"Then why send the entire guards and household employees to comb the castle when you're confident it's a work of magic? Isn't that a waste of time and energy?"

"…Ore-sama wanted to be 100% certain that it _is _magic we're dealing with here, and not just some cat burglar." Though in hindsight, the abductor was a cat burglar in his eyes for being able to infiltrate and take off from the castle undetected; and with a girl nonetheless. If that dirty scoundrel so lay a finger, that bastard would not live to see the next moonrise – Atobe would make sure of that.

"Who do we know uses magic?" Oshitari mused aloud.

"Who do we know wants Akemi captured?" Atobe amended briskly.

Oshitari was taken aback by the accusatory undertone, but masked it smoothly. "I understand the current situation between Foghar and Samhradh isn't particularly pleasant, but it will be politically unwise to accuse the Red Queen without robust evidences at hand," he cautioned in a serious tone.

Atobe grumbled something unintelligible before his face lit up with comprehension. "…that Viscount."

"_Viscount?_ You mean, Viscount Takeda? I know you dislike him, Keigo. But again, it isn't ideal to jump into conclusion so quickly."

But Atobe wasn't listening to the Chancellor. He paced in front of the fireplace, one hand gripping his chin, and the other holding the bottle was propped against his back.

"Akemi said something about an unpleasant aura. Maybe he's secretly a magician? But ore-sama would have sensed something off about him yesterday," he muttered, abruptly pausing in his tracks. He gazed down at Beat, but not quite looking at him as he recalled yesterday's short meeting with the Viscount at his study. The frown he wore deepened with each passing minute as he silently pondered on. Then quite suddenly, he snapped around on his heels, startling both Beat and the Chancellor.

"Where are you going, Keigo?"

"To the dovecote," came the hasty reply.

The Chancellor wordlessly watched as a determined Atobe marched out of the room. He sighed wearily. _'I hope you know what you're doing, Keigo.'_

XXX

By the time Atobe reached the top landing of the long spiralling staircase, he was slightly out of breath. He leaned against the wall. Once his heart had calmed, he pushed his back off the wall and opened the door. A blast of cold draft and the strong smell of pigeon droppings greeted his senses.

But he remained unperturbed as he stepped into the dovecote and shut the door behind him.

Several small heads poked out from the many pigeonholes set into the dizzying cylindrical tower to stare curiously at the newcomer.

Lifting his gaze to nothing in particular, Atobe took out a silver whistle from a pocket and blew on it once.

Out from one of the nesting holes, a pigeon gracefully fluttered down to perch on his waiting hand.

Atobe stroke its feathery neck, earning a happy coo from the bird, as he carried it to a wooden perch that stood against the wall. The bird skipped onto it without an incentive and stuck one of its tiny legs out for him.

Despite the grave situation, he chuckled at his carrier pigeon, earning a puzzled look from it. "Ore-sama's giving you a different task. Today, you're on an important espionage mission," he informed, reaching into the same pocket to switch the whistle for a collar.

The bird seemed to swell in pride at the important task bestowed by the King as the collar was fitted around its neck. Atobe was careful not to suffocate the bird as he tightened the clasp; just enough so that the collar wouldn't fall in any rough weather condition.

He stepped back to examine his handiwork. The collar was in fact a silver chain with a round moonstone pendant that glimmered in the weak sunlight, displaying its opalescent property in full glory. But this was no ordinary gemstone as it was specially made for this kind of occasion.

Satisfied, he reached over to stroke the feathery neck again. "Fly to Viscount Takeda's residence. Shadow either him or any of his servants acting suspiciously, but preferably the Viscount," he added as an afterthought. "Take as long as you need to collect ample information on the missing Princess. Remember to keep yourself well concealed at all times, and stay out of trouble."

"_Stay out of trouble" _– he had said the exact same words to Akemi last night, and yet…

Atobe shook his head violently, banishing those morbid thoughts.

The pigeon quivered with excitement as it was being carried to one of the windows where the collar was given a last thorough check-up. On his command, the bird set off with a rustle of wings towards the rising sun.

Atobe stood there, oblivious to the chilly wind whipping his face as he watched the silhouette of his pigeon diminishing in the distance; a grim look on his face.

XXX

"Would you like another cup of tea, Keigo-sama?" Michael enquired, briefly glancing at the stone cold tea perching on the edge of the fountain. It had been sitting there, untouched and forgotten for at least an hour since he and his master had arrived at the conservatory. An unenthusiastic grunt followed, but it was impossible to tell if that was a yes or no. Considering the King was recently on a short fuse, Michael wisely let it slipped, albeit reluctantly.

A book sat on Atobe's lap, opened in hopes that the rich literature could distract him. But so far, it wasn't working.

'_Two days'_

It had been two days since Akemi had disappeared under mysterious circumstances, and a single feather had yet to be seen. After calling off the search, everyone was ordered to keep a lookout for a carrier pigeon and immediately alert him if they spot one.

So far, there hadn't been any reports of the bird.

Maybe he shouldn't have told the pigeon to undergo the task for as long as it takes. He needed answers – no, his fingers were itching to do something _now_.

Atobe raked a hand through his hair with a frustrated sigh, not bothering to glance up at the sound of approaching footsteps.

"Yo," a voice behind him greeted nonchalantly. It was familiar, but not the one he was seeking. "The pigeon has re –"

"Why didn't you say so earlier instead of dilly-dallying there!?" Atobe interrupted lividly, briskly leaping off the fountain. He snatched the collar from the Chancellor's hand.

Having been informed of the espionage mission beforehand, Oshitari smirked in amusement as Atobe removed one glove and turned to face the fountain. _'Well, I suppose it's better than knocking on the door and casually asking for the Princess with heavily armed soldiers in the background. It would be humiliating if we got this wrong.'_

After unlatching the moonstone from the collar, Atobe held out the round gem sitting on his palm above the water. Curling his fingers over the gem, he crushed it tightly until his hand shook from the effort. Once certain, he dipped his fist into the crystal clear water and unfurled his fingers to dissolve the crushed moonstone powder. He shook his hand vigorously in the water a couple of times as a precaution, and leaned back as the water shone softly in an ethereal blue light for a few seconds before fading away.

Despite water gushing down from the top, the water surface in the basin remained smooth and tranquil as though frozen over. Reflected on the undisturbed surface was not the ceiling of the conservatory or the faces of Atobe, Oshitari and Michael, who were bent over the edge of the fountain to take a closer look, but the image of the mountains sweeping past their view.

The white, rugged landscape gradually morphed into a small town sitting at the foot of the mountains. There was a lack of snow here due to its geographical location close to the border of warmer Earrach. It was a clear night, with twinkling stars and a waxing gibbous moon above the mountain peaks. But the moonlight never reached the town, for it was cast in an ominous shadow by a looming castle on the edge of the settlement.

The streets were devoid of any souls. Atobe scowled; was there a curfew he was not aware of?

The bird, having travelled a long way, found a nice resting place on a tree that overlooked the entrance to a small chapel.

Atobe chewed on his lip with an impatient twitch of an eyebrow, but luck was soon upon him when three figures strolled into view.

In the reflection, the Viscount turned around and muttered inaudibly to someone out of view. Grinning snidely, he handed a scroll to the person he was speaking to before turning back to the horse-drawn carriage waiting outside the gates.

Curious, the King shifted his gaze to the two guards trailing the Viscount, and felt his eyebrows shot up. The Viscount's guards were about the same height and ill-proportioned. Compared to Kabaji, these…monsters were like half-giants that grunted and walked with a permanent slouch. Nothing of them could be seen as they were hidden beneath thick plates of armour.

The image remained static for a moment before changing to the carriage moving down the narrow streets of the town. Soon, they came to the Viscount's castle where a trembling servant greeted his master with a deep bow. The lord merely walked past without an acknowledgement, his strides gaining in length as he seemed to be struggling to keep his excitement at bay. But eventually in the shadows of the dungeons, he broke into a gleeful grin.

Atobe scowled in puzzlement at a huge dark shape that seemed to be moving steadily behind a cell, but the bird had other priority, and he soon found himself looking from a high angle down at the guards unlocking a door.

When the guards moved away, Atobe's heart leapt at the sight of the Princess – in a grubby nightgown, which was (thankfully) pulled right up to her neck to combat the chilly air – nevertheless, alive and in one piece.

But, as he gave the reflection of Akemi in the water a thorough once-over, the joy was replaced by cold fury.

She was sitting slumped against the wall, a tray of food laid untouched by her feet. Bags underneath her soft brown eyes, which were missing the usual lively spark, accentuated the fatigue etched across her face as though she hadn't slept for weeks. Though when the Viscount stepped into the cell, leaving his guards standing outside, her eyes immediately hardened as she regarded him distastefully.

_Takeda glanced at the tray and shook his head dismally. "Another meal wasted. That's not good at all, Princess," Takeda sighed, gesturing for one of the guards to take away the spoiled food. She shrunk back against the wall, glowering darkly at him. "I came bearing good news." _

"_If you're not going to be dragged through the streets and get hung on the noose, then I honestly don't see why I should give a hoot," Akemi scoffed disdainfully. _

"_Oh, but you should, my dear," the Viscount tittered; a smirk growing on his lips. _

_Her gaze sharpened with disgust. "I would appreciate it if you don't call me that ever again." _

"_Too bad, because very soon, you and I will be joined together for good."_

"…_wh-what do you mean by that?"_

"_You know very well what I'm implying, my dear," he sneered, crouching in front of her. "Tomorrow at sunset, we will wed in front of the entire town. I'm already looking forward to the nights we're going to spend together." Akemi paled. "But of course I'll need to make sure you do not rebel. Which reminds me…" he trailed off, taking out a bottle filled with a dark liquid from one pocket. _

_A look of horror dawned on her face as though knowing what the liquid would do. But severely weakened by the periodic administration, Akemi couldn't do anything but squirm helplessly against his hold as he poured the potion down her throat. She gave a shudder and collapsed onto the cold floor when the Viscount released her. _

"_Pathetic," tutted Takeda; his eyes showed no remorse as he watched her cough violently. "It makes me wonder why the White King is so fond of you," he sighed disdainfully, slipping the bottle into his pocket._

_Despite the agony, she managed a glare and was about to retort when another coughing fit ripped through her throat. _

_The Viscount turned around and started towards the door, but then stopped at the doorway to sneer at her. _

"_Until tomorrow, my sweet bride."_

For a dubious moment, Atobe stared mutely at his reflection on the rippling water; his knuckles white from gripping the edge of the fountain too tightly. Drawing a long sigh, he leaned back from the fountain and turned to Michael.

"Tell the stable to prepare Winchester, and ask the servants to pack provisions for eight persons." Atobe shifted his gaze to Yuushi, who bobbed his head in a firm nod. He narrowed his eyes, already picturing himself pulverising the Viscount with his own hands. "Come on. We have a wedding to crash," he added, cracking his knuckles ominously.

XXX

The morning of the wedding, Akemi was roughly dragged out of the cell by the two burly guards that always shadowed the Viscount. She stumbled through the gloomy passageway like a drunkard – the effect of the potion the Viscount had forced her to down earlier – her bare feet barely keeping up with the rest. The guards were growing impatient with her lethargic pace, but at a glare from the Viscount, the two begrudgingly quiet down.

They eventually came to a stop outside another cell; this one with bars.

Akemi rolled her eyes. Was all these rude handling needed to move her into another smelly old room?

But when she glanced into the cell out of curiosity, her breath hitched.

The Viscount grabbed a metal pole from the wall and poked the mass of black fur with the end, earning a weak growl. "Really now? You don't want to take one final look at your dearest little sister?"

The massive lump visibly stiffened. After what felt like hours, it shifted around and Akemi soon found herself staring into a pair of dark brown eyes that looked very familiar.

Should she be relieved that the Emperor's alive? Or despair for the both of them?

The black bear struggled to get up on his paws, but ended up collapsing back onto the ground, panting heavily from the exertion.

"What did you do to him?" she whispered angrily, glowering at the Viscount. Her heart ached terribly at the sight of the usual resilient and tough Emperor quivering helplessly on the floor.

He propped the pole on his shoulder. "Poison, of course. But this is different from the ones I gave you. For you see, his poison is more lethal and has been gradually stripping the strength and energy from him…and not before long, he will eventually –" he moved one finger across his neck as he made a sickening noise.

She didn't need an interpreter to translate the sign. "Coward!" she snarled, struggling against the guards. Oh, how she wanted to shred that vile face into pieces. "Why!? What do you hope to achieve from killing him!? What did he do to deserve this!?"

The Viscount smirked, leaning against the bar of the Emperor's cell. "Simple. You –" Akemi froze when he pointed the end of the metal pole at the spot between her eyes "– are a mere pawn in my plan. You see, if I marry you, that takes me one step closer to the throne, but there lies an obstacle ahead," he gestured lazily at the bear with the pole, "Eliminating him will ensure I become the absolute monarch of Samhradh with you as my Empress – until I'm through with you that is," he sneered darkly.

"But that's just impossible. The Red Queen –"

"– we've wasted too much time," he interrupted curtly. "Take her to the spare bedchamber, and make sure she does not escape."

The guards grunted affirmatively and dragged a protesting Akemi along with them up a narrow stairs and into several corridors. Servants that passed them cowered, pressing themselves closer to the wall as though wanting not a hair of the strange guards to brush them.

They came to a stop outside a door that looked no different from the ones they had passed. The guard on her left banged on it a couple of times with an enormous fist.

A trembling maid answered. Her eyes were on anything but the intimidating guards.

Suddenly, Akemi found herself quite violently shoved into the room. The maid along with her friend caught her before she could make painful acquaintance with the floor. There was an ominous sound of the door being locked that echoed throughout the bare bedchamber, followed by an awkward silence.

Akemi muttered her thanks and glanced around her, feeling her heart froze with dread at the sight of a wedding dress on the mannequin in the centre of the room. Tears began to prick her eyes as she slowly walked towards it, one tentative hand reaching over to feel the fabric.

The gripped on the dress tightened, as she fought down the tears that threatened to spill.

"Please, can I not go through this? Can you help me?" she whispered thickly, turning to the two maids standing beside the door; her eyes pleading and desperate.

They shook their heads dismally, took her by the hands and guided her to the filled bathtub. "I'm sorry. We don't have a choice, but to follow the Viscount's order; or our family will starve to death."

Akemi remained gravely silent as they scrubbed the dirt off in the bath, barely registering the brush going through her hair and the makeup being put on her face after she was deemed clean. As the maids dressed her in the wedding gown, Akemi forced herself to stare at the ceiling, afraid that the tears would spill if she looked down.

The bracelet was stuck on good as usual. Curiously, when the maids moved on to the necklace, it seemed to have mysteriously shrunk for it wouldn't get past her nose, but when it fell back onto her chest, the chain grew back. Despite the oddity, Akemi breathed a sigh of relief as a golden diadem with a diamond-shaped ruby embedded in the middle was slipped onto her forehead; the only piece of jewellery she wore.

Suddenly, the maids jumped in fright with a gasp at the banging on the door. It was near sunset. They cast nervous glances at each other, hastily threw a long veil over her head, and led her towards a carriage outside the castle.

Akemi paused just as she was about to climb onto the steps to glance at the four greys tethered to the carriage. Seeing the horses, reminded her of Winchester's master. She sighed despondently, wondering if she was being silly to hold onto that tiny hope in her heart. But what's the harm of having a wishful thinking?

The carriage jerked to a stop, and suddenly she was hauled onto a cobblestoned street and nudged towards the Chapel by the two guards who were aiming their spears on her back. They didn't stop once, even when a bouquet of flowers was shoved into her hands at the entrance.

She glanced down at the beautiful flowers that seemed to be mocking her with their bright petals.

Upon seeing the bride, the organist struck a slow tune that filled the small chapel. There was a shuffling of feet and creaking of wood as the wedding attendants rose from the benches. There were no smiles, no clapping. They watched her walk down the aisle, wearing the same grave expression on their faces as though feeling sorry for the girl.

The sombre atmosphere and the haunting organ music seemed more fitting for a funeral, rather than a wedding. Though in retrospect, she might as well be walking towards her deathbed.

Akemi hardly gave the Viscount a glance when she joined him in front of the priest, who visibly shrunk back at the sight of the guards towering over their heads, but at a glare from the bridegroom, he hastily started the sermon.

Her clammy hand that lay on top of the Viscount's shook slightly as quiet sobs racked through her body. If the noble felt the tremors, he gave no acknowledgment as his lips curved into a sneer as the priest droned on.

Suddenly, the wedding attendants behind them burst into murmurs as they talked amongst one another. The priest looked up from reading the vows and did a double take.

Akemi glanced over her shoulder (as did the Viscount), and her eyes widened.

A figure was calmly strolling past the flabbergasted attendants; his suit of armour breaking the otherwise stunned silence with each step he took closer to the front of the chapel. His round glasses glinted in the flickering light cast by the chapel's candelabras, concealing his eyes and giving him a mysterious edge.

But one thing was certain to the town folks and the priest; the white rose emblazoned on his cuirass meant that he was directly under the White King's command. As if to illustrate his standing in the authority ladder, six of the selected King's Guards rushed in through the opened doors at a wave of his hand, and formed a semi-circle around him; their swords poised before them.

Oshitari paused halfway down the aisle, finding the pointed ends of the spears levelled at his head. He hardly spared the monstrous guards of the Viscount's a glance then turned around to address the whole chapel. "If you want to live, I suggest all of you leave without delay – _now._"

The King's Guards stepped aside, not wanting to be crushed, as the town folks filed out of the chapel with haste. The priest glanced around nervously before fleeing after the organist through the back door.

Oshitari chuckled dryly, turning back to the bride and bridegroom. "My my, Takeda-san. Did you not think of sending us an invitation for your own wedding? That's rather rude."

The Viscount sputtered; his eyes wide with disbelief. "H-how did you –"

"Never underestimate Keigo. Also, don't provoke him," Oshitari interjected grimly, pushing up his glasses. "But I suppose that's a bit late. Viscount Takeda, you're under arrest for abducting Princess Akemi of Samhradh, who is under the protection of the White King of Geamhradh."

Without warning, Akemi was lurched forwards by the wrist – the veil slid off her head and fell onto the ground in a heap along with the bouquet – locked in an iron grip and the tip of a dagger poised at her neck.

"If you _dare _try that, then say goodbye to the Princess!" the Viscount warned as Akemi struggled vainly against his choking hold. He turned to the guards and barked, "SEIZE THEM!"

At the command, the chapel was promptly thrown into a whirlwind of swordfights as the King's Guards fiercely clashed with the Viscount's in what could be size vs numbers. Not a minute in, there were broken benches, torn tapestries, smashed windows and toppled candelabras scattered everywhere; a showcase of the brutality and severity of the battle.

But amidst all the chaos, an unperturbed Chancellor started towards the bride and bridegroom at a leisure pace as though the former was not holding a weapon to the latter's throat.

"Stay away!" the Viscount spat, dragging his unwilling bride with him as he back stepped from the casually advancing Oshitari. "I'm warning you!"

Akemi uttered a weak cry at the sharp pain when he sunk the tip of the dagger into her skin, feeling a warm liquid trickling down her neck. It wasn't deep, but enough to draw a thin line of blood just to prove his point. Despite this, the shock left her wheezing and quivering like a leaf.

Oshitari halted, throwing out his hands. He cast a wary glance at the dagger. "Look. Just give her back to us, and I promise you won't be killed."

"NEVER!" the Viscount snapped, tightening his grip again. "She's vital in my plan to become monarch!" He laughed hysterically; a mad glint in his eyes. "And when I'm Emperor, I will invade Geamhradh and seize the crown from that wretched King. Nothing will –!" He broke off abruptly, fear suddenly filling his eyes at the sight of a bench hurtling towards them. One of his guards had grabbed a bench and attempted to knock the King's Guards off their feet, only to lose his grips on the furniture.

Without a second thought, he forcefully kicked Akemi aside and threw himself out of harm's way in the nick of time as the furniture missed him by a hair, and smashed into the organ behind, shattering into pieces. Remarkably, the musical instrument only suffered a few dented pipes and broken keys.

Oshitari peered around the pillar he had ducked behind, and glanced frantically about for the Princess. No sooner, he found her several feet away from him, sluggishly pushing herself to stand upright, using the wall as a support.

But in the haze of the confusion, one of her hands caught the chandelier's crank that was nailed onto the same wall, knocking the winch into motion, sending the light fixture plummeting towards an oblivious Akemi.

"No! Look out!" Oshitari shouted as the light fixture plummeted towards an oblivious Akemi. But in a blink of an eye, the chandelier had hit the ground with an almighty crash.

XXX

"Wh-what just –" Shishido abruptly broke off, coughing into his hand. He waved away the choking dust that had suddenly filled the chapel from stinging his eyes. He had heard a crash, but that was it. Beside him, his fellow guards were on the same line of thoughts. Even the Viscount's not-so-human guards had momentarily forgotten about their enemies.

The Viscount clambered onto his feet, clutching one shoulder where a nasty gash was soaking his torn sleeve with a dark stain. He had thrown himself onto the ground, not knowing there was a significant sized splinter lying around until he'd felt the pain. He stared in complete denial at the silhouette of the chandelier; the exact spot where his bride had been standing seconds ago.

"No…" he whispered hoarsely; his wounded arm swaying floppily as he search frenziedly about for any sign of her. As the dust began to clear, movement behind the thick veil caught his attention, and thinking it's her, the Viscount sneered.

But the triumph was slapped away from his hands when a familiar figure emerged from the dust, carrying an unconscious Princess in his arms.

Oshitari smirked, nodding in acknowledgement as the figure approached him. "Aren't you fashionably late? You sure took your time."

Atobe snorted, coming to a stop in front of the Chancellor. "The dashing protagonist _always _saves his grand entrance for the last!" he gloated, puffing his chest out in pride. He was suited up in his signature plate of armours – the colour of ivory – his periwinkle cape billowing behind, and his rapier on one hip.

The King looked exactly like the young man in the portrait back at her bedchamber; proud and confident – Akemi gathered, as she silently regarded him from this strange angle. Even with the plate armours, she could feel the warmth caressing her cheek that was pressed against his shoulder guard.

Realising she had regained consciousness, Atobe lowered his gaze and made a face. "Honestly, you're such a bother. Can't you live a second without causing so many ruckuses?"

Despite the exhaustion, Akemi managed an eye-roll; though she couldn't help the weak smile tugging at her lips. "I'm sorry. You know; I was starting to wonder if you're going to appear in the picture when Oshitari-san and your guards have. But I'm glad you did in the end." Her lips gave a brief twitch as though wanting to broaden the smile to show her gratitude, but couldn't muster enough energy for it; a testimony to how exhausted she was.

"Idiot. Stop forcing yourself. Close your eyes and rest." Atobe gave her a light squeeze of assurance, though he was still careful not to hurt her. "Don't worry. Ore-sama's not going anywhere." _'Nor will ore-sama let you go anytime soon,' _he mentally added; ignoring the temptation to sweep her long fringe from her face since that meant having to put her down.

"Thank you," she whispered, nestling her head on his shoulder for a more comfortable position. Not a couple of seconds in, she had fallen asleep; her face smoothed as the tenseness in her muscles vanished.

Atobe smiled, but then scowled irritably at the toothy grin from the Chancellor. "Not a word," he growled threateningly.

"I wasn't going to say anything."

"Like ore-sama will believe you."

"That hurts."

"SHUT UP!"

The two winced sharply when the Viscount all but tore their eardrums apart with the deafening shriek.

Clutching onto his heavily bleeding shoulder, Takeda tottered towards them; his wide deranged eyes glaring loathingly at them.

"Do not think this is over yet, fools," he rasped, staggering to a stop. He tore his gloves off and lifted his right hand up, displaying a gold band which he wore on the middle finger. There was something else on the ring; a dark dot which the Viscount was rubbing, but it was too small for them to make out from the distance. "Let's see who will have the last laugh, _your Majesty_. Come, my bride. It's time to have a little fun."

Atobe raised an eyebrow. Without warning, he found a pair of hands around his throat and his air pipes being severely constricted.

Akemi, who was supposedly asleep, swung her legs off his arm with uncharacteristic grace. Her feet touched the ground almost noiselessly.

"St-stop! L-let go!" he gasped; his attempts to wrench her arms off him proving futile as she just tightened her grip several notches, causing him to bend forwards due to the height difference. "O-ore-sama apologise for calling you an idiot…" He trailed off, staring into the eyes that were once a soft shade of brown.

Her eyelids were droopy, giving those glowing red orbs behind the eyelashes a far-off look as though stuck between the realms of sleep and consciousness. His breath hitched; but not from the choking hold. For on her diadem, the pulsing light enveloping the ruby was a familiar sight – one that reminded him of that vine monster from the moorland.

Well, at least she wasn't strangling him on her own free will. But that didn't make the situation any less painful for him – at least, physically.

"Keigo!" Oshitari made a move to help, but he hadn't stuck one foot out and the Viscount came charging towards him, brandishing a sword with an animalistic roar.

"Your opponent is me, Chancellor!"

"With pleasure," Oshitari smirked, hastily drawing his sword to parry the attacks; the blow forced him backwards and away from the White King. "Good luck with the Princess, Keigo!" he shouted over the clatter of clashing swords; the King's Guards having resumed battling with the Viscount's.

"O-ore-sa-sama d-don't need l-luck," Atobe rasped; his face turning blue from the lack of oxygen. He tried again to free himself, but it seemed like her hands were stuck on good. "O-ore-sama need _h-help_!"

'Help' soon came in the form of a sword swiftly flying towards them; it's pointed end glinting ominously.

Atobe cursed under his breath, planting a foot on one of Akemi's knees and gave it a hard push. The agonisingly painful grip around his throat instantly vanished as she toppled backwards; her mouth opened wide in shock just as the sword whizzed past the spot (missing his nose by an inch) where she had been standing a second ago. The sword hit the wall beside him with a dull thud and became wedged between the bricks.

Air gushed into his lungs gratefully as he took several deep breaths. Massaging his sore throat, he turned to glare at the perpetrator. "What do you think you were doing!? You could have gotten either of us killed!" he yelled indignantly; his voice easily carried all the way to the other end of the chapel.

"W-well, you said you needed help…sir!" Mukahi shouted back, adding the title after a moment of hesitation.

"How is throwing a sword that could have easily taken our neck out in anyway _helpful!?_" He broke off abruptly to duck, feeling the wind tousled his hair as the floor candelabra whooshed over his head. "Damn it! Stop it, Akemi!" He leapt back from another swipe.

But she had another idea coming. With inhumane strength, she yanked the sword free while charging towards him. She swung the candelabra forwards, and just as he was about to jump away, she held back – a false move – and plunged the sword deep into the ground instead; piercing the hem of his cape along.

"What the!? The indignity, Akemi!"

Although she wasn't aware of her actions, he couldn't resist yelling at her after finding himself in a rather humiliating predicament. Atobe tried to move, but the sword was trapping him, and the cape wouldn't budge no matter how hard he tried. It was doing more damage than help, as he had found out after accidentally tearing a big hole in his beloved cape. He gasped in horror; the inner him screaming shrilly.

(_'I did say it's a bad idea to wear a cape to battle,' _Oshitari sighed exasperatedly, having caught sight of the whole thing.)

Akemi gave him no chance to moan over his ripped up cape. She raised the candelabra high above her head and swiftly brought it down, only for it to be deflected by a sword. She stumbled backwards from the force, but recovered quickly.

They kept switching between offensive and defensive, trying to wear each other off. Despite the fierceness in her attacks, her face was glistening with sweat and her breath was gradually becoming harsher; that much was obvious to him.

The ruby was only controlling her; meaning he must remove that diadem or somehow destroy that gemstone…before it could kill her.

Sparks flew when candelabra and sword collided with each other.

"Stop it, idiot! You're only tiring yourself! Come on, wake up!" shouted Atobe.

From behind their weapons, he watched her cock her head as though puzzled by his random outburst. Perhaps he should take this chance –

"Don't you remember ore-sama? Atobe Keigo?" The confusion was rife behind those glowing red orbs; enough of an incentive for him to keep trying. "The White King of Geamhradh? Keigo the Magnificent?" She raised a sceptical eyebrow. His facial muscles twitched as he struggled to form the next ones in his mouth. But he _must _soldier on. "I-i-i-ins-s-sens-s-itive l-l-lard?" Nothing. "Oh for crying out loud! What about _the swine_!?" Still nothing. He cursed colourfully. "Am ore-sama not Keigo-kun!?"

A look of recognition briefly flashed in her eyes at the name. She frowned deeply as the red glow visibly dimmed a little. Her lips twitched with the slightest of movements as though trying to remember to speak.

Atobe sensed her hesitation. "Come on, you can do it!" he encouraged fervently, one hand reaching for the diadem; but his fingers merely brushed against it. _'Almost th-there!' _

The candelabra slipped from her grasps and fell onto the ground between them with a clang.

For a few moments, Akemi wobbled unsteadily on her feet as her eyes returned to their usual soft brown colour. Then, her body started to tilt perilously forward; her eyes rolling to the back of her head.

Atobe easily caught her before she could join the candelabra. He breathed a sigh of relief. Throwing the sword aside, he shifted his arms around her back so that he could examine the diadem's ruby closely while holding her with his emptied hand.

The ruby was still emitting a faint glow, but having removed the diadem from the host, it was no longer pulsing. Chewing on his lips, he glanced from the gemstone to the pale face, wondering if he should. He and Oshitari had discussed the possibility of the ruby linking to Akemi's loss of consciousness at the moorland. His expression turned grim; if their suspicion's true, then he's not going to like what he had in mind.

But, it's better safe than sorry.

His one arm supporting her, he pressed the limp body tighter against him, murmuring an apology into her ear. He searched frantically about for a good target. Eventually finding one, he gulped down the hesitation and steeled himself. _'Here goes nothing.' _

Right at that moment, the Viscount, curious if his bride had annihilated the White King for him, chanced a glance over his shoulder. His eyes widened in alarm. Not because the Kind had successfully subdued Akemi, but at the sight of the diadem in the former's hand. Takeda knew what he was about to do, and he wouldn't stand for it.

"Oh, no you don't!" Forgoing his fight with Oshitari, he promptly spun on his heels and bolted before the Chancellor could stop him, brandishing his sword wildly. "You will not thwart my plan! She's _mine_!"

But Atobe was quicker. He hurled the diadem with as much force as he could muster, sending the jewellery soaring through the air.

The Viscount skidded to a stop, his mouth opened in horror. He stood there, watching as the diadem struck the stone wall of the chapel, and the ruby shattering into pieces.

"No…no…no…" he whispered hoarsely; disbelief etched all over his face. He staggered forwards, but froze when he found a sword at his throat.

"I would appreciate it if you don't move," Oshitari advised stiffly behind him. Then, his face broke into a grin. "Wouldn't want you ruin such an intimate moment, right?"

XXX

"Shhh…it's alright," Atobe repeated, hugging Akemi fiercely as she writhed convulsively in his arms.

His firm hold around her prevented her from hurting herself – at least physically – keeping the convulsion to a bare minimum, and also to stop her from collapsing onto the ground. She wasn't shrieking from the pain as he had expected. Instead, she was weeping feebly into his neck, drenching it with her tears. But he didn't mind.

"Don't cry. Come on now, you're not a child anymore," he gently stroked the back of her head, "What happened to the girl who punched ore-sama huh? Honestly, crying doesn't suit you."

"And punching the daylights out of you does?" a feminine voice murmured drowsily; startling him. Shortly after, he felt her slump against him.

"Whatever floats your boat," Atobe grunted, fluidly sweeping her into his arms now that she had passed out. He glanced down at the pale face; a tiny smile on her lips. He drew a long sigh.

Suddenly, someone clapped; not stopping until the attention of everyone present in the chapel was affixed on the cloaked figure perching on the organ.

"Bravo, your Majesty!" the mysterious figure cheered almost jeeringly. "That was quite a spectacle, _puri _"

"Who are you?" Atobe challenged, instinctively hugging the sleeping girl protectively; sensing a powerful trace of magic from the figure.

The mysterious man pushed himself off the organ and landed on his feet with a rustle of fabric. He stepped out from the shadows and bowed deeply.

"The Red Queen's magician at your service." He straightened up, exposing his face to the present audience. He had a mole on his chin, blue eyes, and a head of spiky silver hair that was pulled into a rattail.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" Takeda sputtered, seemingly well-acquainted with him.

"To tell you that I'm taking the guards the Queen loaned to you back."

At a snap of his fingers, the two monstrous guards stood straighter, holding their spears beside them, and seemingly began to sink through the solid ground.

"Did that just happen?" Ootori gasped, breaking the stunned silence after a few moments.

A wide awake Akutagawa nodded numbly, staring at the spot where the guards had been standing not long ago. Though he was still having a hard to process what'd happened. Or perhaps he's dreaming this?

"W-why? I thought we have a contract!" the Viscount shrieked as the Magician calmly approached him and Oshitari, who was thrown back several feet by an unseen force at the lazy flick of the magician's wrist. Fortunately for the Chancellor, a swift-acting Kabaji caught him.

The Magician snapped his fingers again, and suddenly, Takeda found himself being restrained at the arms by his former guards. He struggled vainly against their hold.

"Which the Queen has annulled," the magician informed airily, halting in front of him. "So, that ring is useless now." He pointed a finger at the ring on the Viscount's finger, and incited a spell in his head that shattered the ruby completely.

Atobe, who was watching the confrontation unfolding before him, immediately snapped his eyes down. Her face contorted in agony, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. He sighed in relief.

Underneath the shadows of his hood, the Magician sneered at the dumbstruck Viscount. "You swore to safeguard the Princess and Emperor while the Queen makes her way from Foghar, but instead I find you conspiring against her."

"But the Red Queen –"

"– knows every single detail of your plan to seize Samhradh from her hands through marriage," the magician interjected smoothly, causing Takeda to stiffen in fear. He wagged his finger. "The Queen is extremely furious, Mr. Viscount. You know what happens to those who provoke or betray her."

"No! Please! I-I didn't mean it –" Takeda stuttered fretfully through clattering teeth.

"Too late!" sang the Magician, snapping his fingers.

The Viscount's screams for help and mercy fell on deaf ears, though it was agonising for any of them (apart from the Magician) to witness as the Queen's Guards melded into the ground, taking him along with them.

The Magician vented a sigh, dusting his hands. He shifted his gaze to Akemi then to Atobe, who visibly tensed up. "I'll leave her and her brother in your care – _temporarily_ while I convey the message to the Red Queen."

Frowning, Atobe regarded him suspiciously. "What? You're not going to take her from ore-sama?" Not like he would _ever _let him try; his entire body language said so.

"Nah; they will only slow me down," The Magician waved a hand dismissively. "So why don't you have _fun_ with her before I take her back. Hmm?" He wriggled his eyebrows suggestively, grinning like a Cheshire Cat.

"That's not a bad idea. Eh? Keigo?" Oshitari smirked, appearing out of the blue beside Atobe, whose face had turned the colour of beet root and was sputtering unintelligibly.

The Magician grin grew wider; his eyes glinting mischievously. "Well, that is if she's willing to come within ten feet from you! Puri ~" On _you_, a thin beam of silver light shot out from the end of his index finger, hitting his target squarely in the stomach.

Atobe staggered backwards from the force and collapsed onto his knees. With trembling hands, he gently placed Akemi onto the ground and twisted away from her; the upper half of his body bending over with discomfort as something akin to ants crawled underneath his skin, working their way here and there.

"Well, now that my job here is done. Until then, your Majesty – Au revoir ~" The Magician bowed as Mukahi and Shishido charged at him from opposite sides.

But just as they pounced on him, he simply dematerialised into thin air. The two hapless guards crashed into each other within seconds – rather loudly considering their suits of armour.

Oshitari and the rest of his guards hastily gathered around Atobe in a tight circle. "Keigo!" "Sire!" they shouted. Then –

Everything stopped. Atobe blinked; mystified if anything had happened at all.

"Are you alright?" Oshitari asked, worriedly.

Atobe blinked, lowering his hands to his sides. "A-ah…" He turned around to face them. "Ore-sama think so."

A heavy silence followed.

Atobe glanced from one pale face to another, before stopping at Oshitari's impassive one. "What?"

Wordlessly, the Chancellor shifted his sword around so that it lay horizontal on his hands and handed the weapon to the King, who took it with a dubious look.

But he was curious as to why everyone seemed to be slowly inching away from him, wearing the same look of dread on their faces.

Raising an eyebrow, he brought the sword to his eyes, and frowned. His reflection on the polished blade seemed…weird.

He pulled the weapon back, so that his entire face was reflected on it – _if _that's his own face staring back at him with those strange eyes.

The sword fell onto the ground with a clatter that echoed in his poor heart.

And for the first time in his life, he screamed like a little girl.

Meanwhile, the only girl in their midst remained undisturbed by the commotion around her.

XXX

Akemi rubbed her eyes and blinked blearily several times. "Who are you?"

The rider lowered his head as if glancing down at her. It was hard to tell – his face was hidden behind the silver helmet. But she could clearly sense the hesitation as well as dread coming off him in waves.

She glanced from his ivory armour, to the rapier on his hip, to Winchester they were riding on, and then back to the helmet. She cocked her head; the action made difficult since she was sitting sideways and leaning against the mysterious rider.

"Keigo-kun?"

"O-o-ore-sama's name!" the not-so-mysterious rider exclaimed rigidly.

"Your helmet doesn't match the rest of your suit of armours really well – do you know?"

He jerked uncomfortably, spluttering as though unable to find words. "Ah – w-well – ore-sama –"

"– has a sudden outbreak of acne," Oshitari aptly supplied, suddenly appearing beside them on his grey horse. Atobe snapped his head at him, but the Chancellor ignored the murderous intent he was receiving and went one. "So, he's wearing one of the guard's helmet to hide them. He doesn't wear one at all since it ruins his hair – so he says. But you know how sensitive he is about his looks."

"…I see."

When Akemi had turned her head away to survey the small town they and the guards were passing through, Atobe leaned over the gap between their greys and glared at Oshitari through the slit of his visor.

"_Acne!?_" he whispered, incredulously.

"Unless you can come up with something more convincing?" He smirked when Atobe failed to think of a good come back.

"Tsch!" the King hastily leaned back, and hastened his horse toward the Viscount's castle in the distance. Alarmed by the sudden speediness, Akemi threw her arms around his neck and clung onto him all the way.

The guards exchanged looks that said: _"Did he do that on purpose?" _

XXX

Later at the Viscount's castle, Atobe received an earful for not warning her before sending Winchester into a full gallop.

_Earful_ in the most literal sense; he was carrying her in his arms through the dark hallways, following a servant's lead to the dungeon with an entourage of guards and a smirking Oshitari beside them. Well, Akemi would have preferred to walk, but the poison was still in her system. At least she wasn't feeling like her brain was thrown into the washing machine.

At the end of her rant, Atobe apologised (begrudgingly), much to her satisfaction.

As they trailed after the servant, Akemi was given a brief account on the Viscount's capture by the Red Queen's magician. Unsurprisingly, she couldn't remember a single thing after she was rescued from the falling chandelier. Atobe and Oshitari, still unnerved by the fact she's somehow linked to the rubies, glossed over the part when she had reacted to the broken gems. Perhaps another time…

"Neh, Akemi."

"Hmm?"

Atobe hesitated, gulping nervously. "D-did he do anything to you?" he muttered lowly so that only she could hear.

At first, she was confused. Who was he referring to; she wondered. Then slowly, her face turned as white as sheet when she caught the meaning.

She shuddered, shaking her head. "Thank goodness, no. Even if I was weak from the poison, I forced myself to stay conscious at all times…just in case…" she trailed off, shuddering again.

Suddenly, she wasn't the tenacious girl who blew a huge hole in his ego, but the one who clung onto him at the lakeshore like a little kitten – helpless and scared. Atobe gave her a brief, but firm reassuring squeeze; something she was extremely grateful for.

Truth be told, he was allayed by her response – something which Oshitari noticed and quickly leaped into teasing the poor King; asking if he was going to consider the Magician's suggestion.

"Like ore-sama will ever sink so low!" Atobe whispered snappishly back; hot steam wafting through the slit in the visor.

"What are you guys talking about?"

"Nothing!" the two echoed briskly.

Akemi narrowed her eyes suspiciously, but did not delve further as they soon arrived outside the Emperor's cell.

Even when the door was unlocked and opened, the black bear did not react as Oshitari and Atobe, the latter carrying an anxious Akemi, entered the cold cell. The guards stood outside, keeping watch.

Reluctantly, the King set her on the ground beside the mass of black fur that was slowly rising and falling with each strained breath, before crouching nearby.

Her heart ached with anguish as she put her arms around the bear's large neck and nuzzled into the thick fur.

The Emperor woke up with a slight twitch. He opened one eye, then the other; staring wide-eyed in disbelief at the sight of his sister, unharmed. He glanced sharply to Atobe, noticing she was not alone, and snarled.

Oh right, he couldn't recognise Atobe with the helmet on, even if he was wearing the royal suit of armour. But he wasn't going to risk taking it off – not with _her _around.

So Atobe settled with gesturing in his usual style. "What? Can't even remember the regal aura oozing out from ore-sama? The indignity, Sanada-san," Atobe smirked.

The Emperor gapped unashamedly; disbelief in his eyes. He glanced to Akemi for confirmation.

"He's not lying, oni-san," Akemi smiled. "Keigo-kun and the others saved me from the sham marriage. (_'Oh, so I'm categorised under others now?' _a certain Chancellor mused) If it weren't for them I would have become the wretched wife of the Viscount. Plus, they're here to help you."

Oshitari took this cue to step forward, crouched down and stretched out his hand. Sitting on his opened palm, was a black pill the size of a golf ball. "Swallow this. It will force the poison out from your system. But I must warn you that it isn't going to be pleasant."

The Emperor gave the pill a long, dubious look. He shifted his gaze to Akemi, who nodded encouragingly, and turned back to Oshitari. He picked up the pill between his teeth, tilted his head as far back with a bit of help from his sister, and swallowed.

For a moment, nothing seemed to change.

Then, his eyes bulged out and started to retch uncontrollably. He swiftly crawled around the tight space, causing Oshitari to jump back and Atobe to sweep a fretting Akemi back into his arms before joining the Chancellor by the cell's doorway. His whole body shook as he regurgitated the entire poison remaining in his body onto the floor.

At least he had the decency to turn around, thus blocking their views. It's never a pleasant sight to behold. But nothing could stop the sound and rancid smell from unsettling their stomachs. Fortunately, neither of them had a huge meal prior.

After a long agonising wait for Akemi, the bear slowly crawled back and collapsed onto the floor, panting from the exhaustion. She urgently gestured for Atobe to put her down. He hesitated for a moment, but eventually relented and stayed close.

She gingerly patted the back of his head. "Are you feeling any better, oni-san?" Akemi asked; her eyes avoiding the disgusting pool at the back of the prison cell.

He grunted, bobbing his head jerkily.

There was a sense of relief that echoed throughout the dungeon.

Akemi smiled happily, and hugged him around his neck. As seconds passed, he was breathing more comfortably, and even weakly nuzzled her cheek in return.

"I'm glad you're alright too," she whispered. She felt something tugging her heartstring, and for a while, her mind seemed to be overtaken by something unexplainable. In a trance-like state, she leaned back and planted a light kiss on his brow.

Suddenly, his thick pelt rippled in the still air. His whole body shuddered violently, and to the shock of everyone, he started shrinking before their eyes. The black furs fell onto the ground in a pile at his paws that were gradually morphing into hands and feet of humans.

In a blink of an eye, the black bear was gone.

And standing in his place, Sanada Genichiro – the Black Emperor of Samhradh – freed from the Red Queen's curse, opened his mouth to utter the first human word in almost a year.

"Ah."

* * *

**Cameo explained: ****The Red Queen's Magician = none other than Niou!  
**

**Finally we're getting closer to the mystery. Who is the Red Queen? **

**But what happened to Atobe? Find out next chapter, when they venture into the Kingdom of Earrach. A certain Rikkai captain will make his appearance. **

**Thanks for reading ~**


	6. The Frog King

**What's this? The author actually uploaded a chapter that's less than 7000 words? Haha I don't think I've uploaded anything short since chapter 3 of 'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life'. ****Anyways, enjoy this unusually short chapter and fast update. **

**Many thanks to XxBloodandButterfliesxX for following! :D **

**References:**** Samhradh = Summer, Geamhradh = Winter, Foghar = Autumn, Earrach = Spring  
**

* * *

The enticing aroma wafted from the cooking pot that was propped over the crackling campfire, stirring the stomachs of those gathered around it as they waited for the stew to cook. It wasn't long until their late dinner was deemed ready.

Akemi dipped the ladle into the simmering stew, gave it a few stirs before carefully scooping a hearty portion into a bowl, and handed it to the person closest to her.

"There you go, Oshitari-san. Be careful, it's really hot."

"Thank you." The Chancellor accepted the meal with a smile, and picked up a spoon. "I feel bad though, you don't really have to cook for us."

"That's nonsense. I don't mind it at all," she chided light-heartedly, handing the next bowl to the Emperor before turning back to the pot to fill up another. "I'm just showing my gratitude – but it seems kind of pointless now…" she trailed off, looking at the person seated across her; a faint scowl on her face. "Are you sure you don't want any, Keigo-kun?"

Behind the helmet, Atobe flinched nervously. He grunted affirmatively after a moment of hesitation, struggling to focus on anything but the stew _personally _cooked by Akemi.

"Ore-sama already had something else – not hungry," he mumbled, absently plucking a blade of grass off the ground.

It was the half-truth. Earlier, when they had stopped by a river to let the horses drink, he'd hid behind a large tree and scoffed down his food rations while Akemi was conveniently occupied by the attention-loving Winchester. The other half? He'd only managed to finish an apple before he was spotted. Fortunately, he was quick to react, shoving the helmet on just as she came around to ask what he was doing behind the tree.

"Suit yourself," Akemi vented a weary sigh, sitting down on the soft ground beside the Emperor; a bowl of stew between her hands. "But is your acne truly that bad, you don't want to take off the helmet? We're not going to pass judgement over something as normal as acne."

"The thing is. Acne isn't normal as you make out for him –" Oshitari gestured at Atobe with a flicker of his spoon "– who always takes good care of his health and looks to a tee. In fact, he rarely – if ever – gets sick, and prides over that fact."

"Is that so?"

Atobe grunted another affirmative before sinking into a sulky silence; one which only the Chancellor sensed since they were sitting next to each other. Plus, there was the gradually growing pile of ripped-up grass between them.

Akemi cast a worried glance at him, noticing that he'd been acting strangely since leaving the town behind. "If you do change your mind, just help yourself before I take it to the guards. There's plenty left to feed several mouths."

He nodded jerkily, thus ending their conversation.

Sanada, who had been quietly observing their exchange with mild-interest, set the half-emptied bowl on his lap a long while later and cleared his throat, garnering attention from those around him. The Black Emperor turned to his old rival. "I think this is the best time to express my gratitude, Atobe-san. Thank you for saving Akemi and me. For that, we are deeply indebted to you." He dipped his head respectfully; his back arching forwards in a little bow.

The King waved his hand dismissively. "No worries. It's not like ore-sama did it for any benefits, just take it as a gesture of goodwill." At the warm smile from a certain someone, his stomach somersaulted with delight.

"Though you cannot deny the one good thing that came out of this is the Princess. Right?" Oshitari muttered lowly so that only his friend could hear; indifferent to the glare he received as he turned to speak to the Emperor. "So, what are your plans from now on? Though I'm going to presume finding the Royal Adviser is high on the agenda."

Sanada nodded in agreement; having been told of the events leading up to this as they left the town behind. "That it is. We're best reclaiming Samhradh from the Red Queen with him back on our side. If both of us –" he motioned towards Akemi with his head "– were kept alive for some weird reason, then I can bet he is too." He hesitated for a brief moment, taking a deep breath. "Thus, I've decided to head to Earrach first thing tomorrow."

The other three looked at him in surprise, but it was Akemi who spoke first.

"Why?"

"Some of my guards who have fled to Earrach may be serving the King of Hearts at the present. This mission is too risky to be done alone. I would rather gather as many hands as possible."

Akemi chewed on her lips; her frown deepening. There was a nagging suspicion that the Emperor was hiding something. "But shouldn't we search _now_ instead of wasting what precious time left on travelling all the way to Earrach to find your men?" she reasoned, "Nagi-kun's life is at stake here. We don't know for how long the Queen is going to keep him alive, especially with the Viscount's betrayal."

"Actually, we're not far off from the border as you think," Oshitari politely amended, stirring his stew once with the spoon before turning to the Emperor, "But she's right about time. The King of Heart's castle isn't a day's journey even on horseback. Therefore, Keigo will be more than happy to lend his resources for the search. Right?" he elbowed the King.

"That goes without saying," remarked Atobe, curling his finger around a grass. "You're welcomed to stay at ore-sama's castle too."

"Really? Thank you, Keigo-kun!" Akemi beamed happily. "I knew I could count on you."

A curious kind of warmth spread across his face at the praise. "N-not at all…" he mumbled; unconsciously curling the grass faster until it was almost a blur. But whatever happiness those two felt (each with differing reasons), it was quickly doused.

"Much that I appreciate the offer, but I'm afraid I need to turn it down."

Again, there was a stunned silence following Sanada's comment. This time though, it was accompanied by an awkward tenseness in the atmosphere from the Emperor.

He steeled himself; conscious of the pair of eyes staring at him as though he was mad. "Though I agree that we shouldn't dawdle any longer, Akemi's safety is currently my main concern. I will worry less if she's staying at Seiichi's castle for the time being."

Akemi didn't care to ask if this Seiichi and King of Hearts were one of the same persons, because at that moment, she knew where he was going. But before she could form a retort, someone beat her to it.

Atobe rapidly scrambled to his feet, unintentionally tearing a fistful of grass along in his clenched fist. "Are you saying that ore-sama isn't capable of protecting her?" he brusquely demanded, narrowing his eyes dangerously behind his visor. "Who do you think stopped her from becoming that Viscount's wife!? Harh!?"

"Keigo," Oshitari warned.

"That I cannot deny, and again, I appreciate for all you've done for her," Sanada grimly replied. "But, if she was to stay at your castle, can you promise _nothing _will come to harm or whisk her away?"

He stiffened.

"I don't think that's fair to bring this up in the argument, oni-san!" Akemi fiercely defended. "That was a magician we were dealing with back then."

"What it is to say that he won't come back for you? Remember that we're roaming freely for the time being. If he could abduct you from Atobe-san's castle without anyone knowing until it was too late, then a repeat isn't going to be difficult, _especially _since it's a magician we're dealing with _now_."

"Then what about you? Even if you let me stay at whoever's castle is the most fortified against magic, I can't sit still knowing you're out there with him and the Red Queen on the prowl!"

"You're not coming with me."

"But the reason Nagi-kun's captured was because of my –"

"That's enough, Akemi," Atobe interjected smoothly; his tone and expression unreadable. "He's right. You're lucky to be alive."

"Wha –" she uttered; shocked beyond words. Truthfully, he was the last person in her mind that would agree to this idea.

Atobe turned to Sanada, deliberately avoiding eye-contact with the girl sitting stock-still beside him. "We'll escort the both of you to the King of Heart's castle, but that's it. Will that suffice?"

"Very well. Thank you, Atobe-san," Sanada dipped his head gratefully. "Your kind deeds will not be forgotten."

Atobe grunted an acknowledgment and carefully lowered himself to the ground, crossing his legs underneath him.

They resumed eating in awkward silence. Eyes downcast, Akemi stared despondently at her stew; a sort of dullness weighing her heart down. She knew reasoning with those two would just drive her up the wall, and she was too tired from the day's ordeal. With a half-hearted sigh, she set the barely eaten meal aside and rose to her feet, dusting the dirt off the cloak Atobe gave her earlier.

"I'm going to take a walk," she informed, though her walk quickly turned out to be a sprint across the field.

"Wait! Akemi! It's too dangerous to go on your own!"

Oshitari watched as the Emperor ran after her and past a group of bewildered guards until the siblings disappeared from view before turning back to his stew. It was like the whole interrogation aftermath again. Though this time, a certain sulking King was not going to do join in the chase.

"I don't understand why you're doing this to yourself if you hate that decision from the start," said the Chancellor, going in for seconds. "So what if the castle isn't fortified against sneaky magicians? Did you not notice her stealing a glance at you before she left?"

One good advantage of a helmet; nobody would know that they were being stared at. So of course he had glanced up when she made a move to leave, and caught a glimpse of her eyes that had fleetingly betrayed the disappointment and hurt, but there was a slight hopeful look to them as though wishing that Atobe would change his mind... but he didn't.

Sighing in frustration, he removed the helmet and placed it on the ground before him with unnecessary force, and helped himself to a bowl of stew. Just to be on the safe side, he turned his back on the fire, in case she came back. Scooping up a spoonful, he took a half-hearted bite and swallowed with slight difficulty. _'It tastes so bland,' _he grimaced; his taste bud unused to the severe lack of seasonings.

Regardless, he wasn't going to put Akemi's effort into cooking a hearty meal to waste, and finished his with gusto. Satisfied by the warmth settling in his stomach, he set the now-emptied bowl aside and reluctantly shoved the helmet on.

"You know – despite understanding the risk of being recaptured, she still looked up to you for support," Oshitari piped up; his stew already half-gone. "She _trusts _you enough to put her life in your hands, Keigo. Doesn't that say something?"

Atobe scoffed derisively. "She must have been hoping they could get their Royal Adviser back alive – the sooner the better."

A smirk crossed his features. "My, it never occurs to me that you're the type to be jealous of others."

"Who's jealous of who!?" Atobe barked indignantly; incredulous at the notion.

"Anyways, I highly doubt that's the main reason."

"Huh?"

The smirk widened into a toothy grin. His glasses glinted ominously in the moonlight. "I'm going to tell you something interesting, Keigo. So you better listen carefully."

"Harh?"

XXX

With a huff and puff, the Emperor staggered into a field where a herd of horses was grazing, unperturbed by the newcomer. His head darted about the clearing, searching for any signs of his sister; she had always been frustratingly good at hiding.

"Akemi!" he shouted. Naturally, he received no reply. Muttering a curse under his breath, Sanada continued in vain pursuit and left the grazing horses far behind.

Moments later, a head poked out from behind a tree. Deeming it safe, Akemi warily walked around the tree and joined the eight horses by the field, catching the attention of a certain grey.

Ears perked up in the air, the horse plodded away from his comrades to greet her with a nicker.

"Hello, Winchester," Akemi greeted; giggling as the horse nuzzled her cheek affectionately. The grey nudged her hand with his snout. "Sorry, I don't have an apple with me right now," she smiled apologetically.

The intelligent grey sensed something was off with that smile. He stepped back, and regarded the human girl with a look that cunningly resembled his master's whenever he was telling her off for this and that. As though to confirm her suspicion, the horse was nudging her and whinnying incessantly.

Akemi drew a long sigh, reaching over to brush his long mane. "Your master is a jerk," she blurted dejectedly.

Winchester snapped his head away from her touch, snorting incredulously. He shook his large head fervently in disagreement, stamping the ground with his large hoof, and nudged her urgently as though urging her to expound.

She turned around, sighing wearily again, but thinking she was about to leave without any explanation, the horse hastily walked around to block her way, only to jerk in surprise at the sight of her watery eyes.

The grey didn't shy away when a pair of arms wound their way around his neck in a hug. In fact, he ran his muzzle down her dark curtain of hair, nickering softly as though comforting her. But still wanting to know what'd happened between his master and her, he scuffed the ground noisily, lightly butting the back of her head until she relented.

Akemi stepped back to stroke his muzzle, muttering her thanks.

"I really dislike saying goodbyes…" she trailed off, remembering the pain of bidding farewell to the elderly Mackenzies' at the train station and watching her beloved birthplace drifting behind from the air. But more precisely, it's not knowing when they would meet again that she hated.

Winchester cocked his head; his dark eyes glinting with puzzlement.

"Thanks to your master, we're going to part ways after that jerk is done escorting us to the King of Heart's castle." The grey neighed; taken aback by the news. "I don't understand why he approved of the Emperor's decision when he was previously so against it. And to think there won't be a chance of us parting soon – I was wrong," she exhaled, sullenly.

The grey stomped the ground angrily, as though telling her otherwise.

But Akemi misinterpreted it as the horse concurring with her. "You can blame your master if you like – actually, bite him for me," she chuckled dryly, picturing the scene as she scratched his muzzle almost absently. "For all his egotistical nonsense, Keigo-kun is actually a nice guy. Loud and a tad obnoxious; nonetheless he's kind-hearted, silly and so much fun to tease," she added as an afterthought; a small smile on her lips. "I've yet to properly express my gratitude for all he's done for me, and now I don't know with this stupid decision to stay in Earrach for goodness-how-long will I ever have the chance," she pouted; arms crossed over her chest.

Winchester shook his head.

"You… disagree with me?"

An eager nod.

She vented a sigh, furrowing her eyebrows into a troubled frown. "But what can I do? I doubt either the two will listen to –"

"AKEMI!"

Said girl turned around to see Atobe was running towards them; a kind of strange fire burning in his eyes.

"Kei –" she broke off abruptly with a startled yelp, staggering backwards a few paces when he all but collided head-on with her. His suit of armour wasn't exactly made out of feathers after all. Luckily, he'd caught himself by holding onto her upper arms before he could do serious injuries to her. "Are you alright? You're panting –"

He cut her off by waving one of his hands frantically; breathless from running like his life depended on it. He took a huge gulp of air. "There's a way to break the curse!" he gushed.

She blinked in puzzlement. "What cu –?"

His grips on her arm tightened; unaware that his gauntlets were slightly hurting her with all the bubbles of excitement coursing through his veins. But it was also because his whole mind was currently overwhelmed by the excitement of having this curse removed that the significance of his next words was overlooked.

"It's so simple! You just need to _kiss_ ore-sama!"

XXX

_**(Earlier…)**_

"_I've been thinking back to the moment we were in the dungeon," said Oshitari. _

"_What about it?" Atobe grunted, indifferently. _

"_Though the Emperor is well on the mend thanks to the pill, it was the Princess who turned him back into human. If both you and the Emperor were cursed by the same caster, then what is it to say that the same method won't work for you?" _

XXX

One of her eyebrows twitched dangerously. "Did you hear yourself speak, Keigo-kun? Or is this a natural occurrence for you?" she said flatly, blushing furiously.

For once, her scathing remark was unheeded as Atobe was eager to have this curse removed immediately. "There's no time to waste, Akemi! Come, pucker up!" He shifted his arms around – one to loop around the small of her back, bringing a sputtering Akemi closer, while the other reached up to touch his helmet.

Akemi abruptly paused in trying to push his heavy bulk of an armour away, choosing to stare wide-eyed at him. Her heart was beating rapidly as he leaned in, gradually reducing whatever appropriate space left between their faces. But thrilled that her curiosity of his acne condition would be finally satiated, she had momentarily forgotten what he's about to do. She held her breath as the helmet was slowly pulled up.

But just then, a certain someone chose this moment to return from the fruitless search.

Sanada gawked, scandalised at the scene unfolding before him. He shook his head violently to clear his mind and hastily marched towards the oblivious couple – more specifically the instigator – his eyes burning with rage.

"Hang on! What do you think you're planning to do? Like I'll ever let you kiss my sister!"

He caught that one arm that was about to remove the helmet and wrenched it away, causing Atobe to stumble back with an indignant shout as the helmet was roughly pulled off his head too, clipping his chin by accident.

Just as the Emperor was about to launch into another tirade, the words died in his throat. He stared, wearing a stupefied expression, at the back of his rival's head… at least that's what he thought it was.

"What was that manhandling for? Harh!? Why ore-sama ought to…" Atobe trailed off, realising that there was a strange atmosphere hanging over the field. Even the horses were gaping incredulously at him. He glanced at the helmet in Sanada's hand, and immediately, his mind pieced together the cause of this stunned silence.

His movements were jerky and painfully slow as Atobe turned around to find a ghostly pale figure standing frozen in spot, her hands remaining aloft, and her eyes wide and unseeing as though lost in a trance.

If possible, every inch of Akemi's skin turned even paler than Winchester's coat at the amphibious face before her. That pair of bulging dark blue eyes on either side of his oddly shaped skull, the elongated lips, the moist sheen on the dark green skin – her worst nightmare had come back to haunt her.

Atobe tentatively reached over to grasp her awfully stiff shoulders. "A-Akemi… Ore-sama can explain –"

This time, she cut him off with an ear-splitting scream, startling everyone (including the horses) in the makeshift campsite; though the most unfortunate victim of her powerful lungs was Atobe.

In a moment of panic, Akemi fiercely slapped the hands off her shoulders and bolted for the woods; an exasperated Emperor soon following not far behind.

With a thud, Atobe fell onto his knees; his heart and mind in complete denial of what had transpired… at the look of fear on her face.

Alerted by the scream, his guards appeared by his side, bombarding him with questions which fell on deaf ears.

Something was nudging his head urgently. Atobe numbly lifted his head just as Winchester exhaled into his face, startling him back to Earth. At that precise moment, his senses came crashing back.

"Are you alright, Sire?" "What happened?"

"Where's the Princess?" Oshitari sighed wearily.

_Princess? _

The guards leapt back just in time to avoid getting hit when Atobe jumped onto his feet as though electrocuted.

"Sire?" Ootori piped up as the King clambered onto a restless Winchester in one fluid motion.

"Less talk, more action! Get on your horses and follow ore-sama!"

"U-understood!" the guards chorused.

XXX

Akemi blindly ran through the woods, ignoring the uncomfortable throbbing in her tired legs as though they were set on fire.

'_It's a frog! It's a frog!' _she repeated fearfully; her eyes gazing wildly ahead as she stumbled over roots after roots, until eventually one sent her crashing ungracefully onto the forest ground with a cry of surprise.

She swiftly pushed herself off the ground and glanced apprehensively about the moonlit woods. Her chest heaved up and down as she gasped for air. She gulped with difficulty, but it did nothing to alleviate the anxiety swirling inside her stomach, realising she was lost for good.

Sighing in frustration, she wiped the sweat from her face, but abruptly paused to glance down at the object in her hands. There were muddy stains and bits of grass sticking to the cloak; most probably from when she fell. A shiver crept down her spine, recalling the froggy face that had greeted her. She quickly banished such image and wrapped her arms around her quivering body.

"What was that?" she whispered to herself, rocking on her heels. "Wasn't Keigo-kun talking to me? Why was there a giant anthropomorphic frog instead?" Scowling, she chewed on her thumb. "But…I'm certain it yelled using Keigo-kun's voice, and it had a mole right where –" She shook her head frantically, raking a hand through her hair. "Ahh! That's not important at the moment!" she exhaled irritably and resumed studying this new environment.

She lifted her gaze to the night sky. It was a cloudless night, displaying its countless celestial bodies in full glory. All her worries vanished as she stared in awe at the breathtaking constellations high above the trees.

A sharp crack akin to a twig breaking into two snapped her out of the reverie.

Her eyes darted about nervously in search of the source, hoping it's someone familiar, but more importantly – friendly. Another shiver ran up her body. Instinctively, she drew the cloak closer around her to combat the chill, despite the lack of breeze.

An owl hooted in the night, sending her nearly three feet in the air, before an eerie silence followed. For a dubious moment, nothing stirred. Then, a flutter of wings brought her attention to a particular tree to her right.

There was the soft hooting again, as though calling her to come closer.

Almost like something was pulling her, Akemi complied and slowly drew nearer to the large shape perching in the shadows of a high branch. In the moonlight, a tiny object glinted rhythmically, and she found herself enthralled by the red pulse.

When she was about a few feet from reaching the tree, the feathery beast swooped down soundlessly, its sharp talons poised to strike.

A voice in her mind suddenly screamed for her to run. It sounded like someone was actually screaming in her ears, that in a blink of an eye, her awareness snapped back, causing her to falter to an abrupt halt.

She blinked again, and a pair of glowing red eyes was gazing deeply into hers. There were lifeless – Akemi noted, frozen to the spot by fear as the talons were inches away from tearing into her chest when something whooshed past her field of vision and the owl disappeared.

A moment later, there was a thud somewhere on her left, and then, the tell-tale sounds of horses approaching her.

"I got it! See? Told you I'm a genius!" an excited voice gloated, emerging from behind the trees on a chestnut horse. "I think you owe me money, Jackal!" he shouted to his friend over his shoulder in a singsong manner. He turned around and instantly brought his horse to a halt.

Another chestnut horse appeared. Sitting atop, his rider – most likely, Jackal – waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, come on, Bunta. We all know that was a fluke! I could have…" he trailed off; his own horse stopping beside the other chestnut. He and his friend stared at the unexpected guest for an uncertain time until another chestnut plodded to a halt behind them, but only because their horses were obstructing him.

"Geez! You two couldn't have waited?" the newcomer huffed indignantly, "I'm still new to this part of the forest! What? What are you guys staring at?" he tried to look over their heads to avail. Exhaling frustratingly, he climbed off his horse and stalked around the other two. "If this is another –" he broke off, blinking disbelievingly at the object of their fascination. He rubbed his eyes furiously and blinked, but this was no mirage.

"A-Akemi-sama!?" he gasped loudly, effectively bringing said girl back to Earth.

Akemi inhaled deeply as though she had been holding her breath for the longest time. She shook her head feebly; her eyes taking up a look of confusion as she shifted her eyes to the trio.

"Wh-who are you?" she asked warily, flexing her clammy hands in case of an imminent attack. Though, she briefly wondered if she could take down three men with only what-remained-of her wits, seeing the swords strapped to their belts.

The one-not-on-his-horse stood straighter and bowed deeply. "Kirihara Akaya of the Imperial Guards Division!" he exclaimed vigorously. "I-it's an honour to meet you, Akemi-sama!"

She raised an inquisitive eyebrow. _'Imperial? So he must be one of the Emperor's guards.' _

Without an incentive, he introduced the other two to her – the redhead as Marui Bunta and the shaved-one as Kuwahara Jackal, both from the King of Heart's Royal Guards Division.

"Ehh. So this is the fabled Princess of Samhradh," Marui remarked as Jackal dismounted from his horse and left the clearing, presumably to retrieve the feathery beast, "I thought for sure you were making it all up, Akaya-kun."

"The heck! How dare you show disrespect to Akemi-sama!" Kirihara snapped, shaking an angry fist.

Akemi waved a hand dismissively; inwardly still finding it extremely awkward people referred to her that way. "That's fine, Kirihara-kun. No need to fight over something like this," said the person who tended to bicker with a certain White King.

"Ah! Please forgive me, Akemi-sama!" Kirihara apologised, bowing frantically. A hand on his shoulder made him stopped abruptly. He looked up with puzzlement in his eyes

Sighing wearily, Akemi withdrew her hand and stepped back. "I'll forgive, but only _if_ you promise me to stop these stifling formalities?" she politely implored; hands on hips. "I'm fine with you calling Akemi-sama (actually not), just no excessive bowing or anything of those sorts. Please?"

The Imperial Guard's features lit up as though remembering something. "Of course! Anything you ask!" he grinned boyishly, which turned out to be infectious as Akemi found herself emulating his smile, albeit with less enthusiasm.

Just as she was about to express her gratitude, a rustling of leaves behind the horses caught their attention. Whatever it was caused Marui to grin toothily as he guided both his and Jackal's horses from blocking the way as the head of another chestnut appeared into view.

"Oh? Why are the three of you congregating here? If you're not careful, you might enter Geamhradh by mistake," said a masculine voice. Its horse plodded from the shadows, revealing his oddly familiar rider. When his clear blue eyes landed on her, his gaze took on a mixture of shock and incredulity. Not taking his eyes off her, he hastily dismounted and started towards her with long strides.

Kirihara respectfully stepped aside, grinning in anticipation; something which did not escape Akemi's notice.

'_Wh-what's going on? Who is he?' _she pondered, standing on her ground. Well, if the Imperial Guard wasn't slicing the newcomer into bits, then surely he must at least be harmless. Right?

The stranger extended his right hand towards her almost reluctantly, exposing a strikingly familiar bracelet he wore around his wrist. "You're…" he whispered.

XXX

Trees swept past his vision as Winchester and his fellow equines raced through the forest.

Atobe cursed his predicament and carelessness, and cursed the daylights out of the accursed Magician who did this to him. He didn't stop to care if they'd entered into Earrach's side of the border. The Emperor was not far behind, having 'borrowed' Akutagawa's horse; said guard was fast asleep behind Kabaji.

"Just where did she go!?" Atobe muttered tersely; eyes darting about in hopes of catching a glimpse of the infuriatingly elusive girl. "She couldn't have gone far on foot!"

Oshitari appeared beside him, pointing and shouting at something ahead.

Atobe shifted his gaze to the direction indicated and felt his blood boil. In the haze of his fury, he didn't recognise the blue-haired guy when he should. Only that his current one-track mind registered the hand that was about to touch Akemi.

Without a second thought, he brought Winchester skidding to a halt, jumped off and charged into the small clearing. He heard Oshitari and Sanada shouting, but Atobe was focused on one task.

XXX

"Don't you dare touch her with your filthy hand – you despicable scoundrel!" an animalistic roar tore through the air.

Startled by the familiar voice, Akemi whipped around to find the anthropomorphic frog wearing Atobe's suit of armour and brandishing his rapier hurtling towards them. Sure, she recognised that voice, but she couldn't stop the old phobia from kicking in and hid behind the blue-haired stranger.

For reasons unbeknownst to her, the anthropomorphic-frog-that-stole-Atobe's-voice suddenly froze, unaware of the sharp tip of Kirihara's sword that was pointing at his throat.

"Wh-what are you?" the Imperial Guard rasped in astonishment.

"Sire!" "Akemi!"

The rest of the crew emerged, looking absolutely dishevelled with various leaves and twigs sticking out of their hair.

Marui regarded the armoured ones. "Eh? Aren't you guys the White King's guards?"

"Emperor Genichiro!?" Kirihara blanched, unashamedly gawking at Sanada, whose eyes were affixed on the blue-haired stranger.

"Seiichi?"

"Oh, so the King of Hearts is here too," Oshitari piped up, needlessly pushing his glasses.

"Yo, Genichiro. Haven't seen you in a long time. How have you been?" the King of Hearts smiled; seemingly unperturbed by the strange change of events. Though Kirihara's technically wasn't under his command, the Imperial Guard obediently backed down at a wave of his hand, lowering the sword from the frog-man's throat. He then turned to address it. "Seeing as you're wearing the White King's signature armour, I can only presume you're Atobe Keigo. Am I right?"

Atobe nodded jerkily, lowering his weapon. He glanced furtively at the girl who was peering nervously from behind the King of Hearts. The moment their eyes met, he noticed the fear flashed in the soft brown pools before Akemi deliberately lowered her eyes to the ground.

The King of Hearts chuckled good-naturedly. "Well, I'll let you know beforehand just in case a similar incident happens in the future. I will never dream of hurting this girl behind me." He sent said girl a fleeting smile before returning his gaze to Atobe, who narrowed his eyes suspiciously at him. "She's my _fiancée_ after all."

Something snapped.

Atobe looked as though he had the misfortune of tasting something very vile and had not left his mouth no matter how many times he had washed it.

"Fi –"

"– ancée!?" Akemi finished for him.

The colours drained from her face at an alarming rate as the world around her started to spin. She rested a hand on her sweaty forehead. "S-somebody please catch me. I don't think my poor heart can take another shocker…" she trailed off, swaying perilously from side to side until her knees buckled. But she never made it to the ground.

Before the darkness consumed her, she heard muffled voices shouting her name; one that stood out amongst the others cursed colourfully.

"Kei…"

* * *

**Yes, Akemi is terribly afraid of frogs. Poor Keigo... ;_; **

**Atobe's curse is of course inspired by the popular fairy tale, 'The Frog Prince'. Hence the title for this chapter is 'The Frog King'. I did a little background research on Wikipedia (but correct me if I'm wrong), and apparently '_Der Froschkönig oder der eiserne Heinrich_' which translates to 'The Frog King, or Iron Heinrich' is the first story written by the Brothers Grimm! (sorry, sometimes I do get exited by trivia*sheepish laugh*)**

**Thanks for reading, and see you next chapter ~ **


	7. The King of Hearts

**Thanks to Sparks Are Unique for following and faving, and VeryCoolPerson for the review! Just to avoid any confusions, this chapter takes place in the Kingdom of Earrach (Spring). If you have any questions though, don't hesitate to ask me! ;) **

******References:**** Samhradh = Summer, Geamhradh = Winter, Foghar = Autumn, Earrach = Spring**.

**Enjoy~**

* * *

'_Have you realized that the truth always lies in the past?_

_All futures and hope are but a selfish story envisioned by someone in a distant garden_

_And no one knows yet'_

Excerpt from 'Your Silver Garden', by Kajiura Yuki

XXX

All too aware they were sitting nearby, Akemi hoped the two wouldn't notice a certain someone was playing possum.

"I really must apologise for this, Genichiro," the voice of the King of Hearts said, chuckling sheepishly. There was a clink of china as he set down his teacup on the saucer. "I was ecstatic to see her in the flesh that I have forgotten that it's a sensitive issue. At least she didn't run away like last time," he added without the previous humour.

Her curiosity piqued. _'Run away like last time?' _she echoed. Then, it hit her. She had never asked Nagi why the Princess vanished without a trace in the first place.

Perhaps…

There was a shuffle of clothes as the Emperor exhaled wearily. "You're right, Seiichi. It's not your fault she passed out. With her memory loss though, I was rather hoping to keep the engagement a secret – at least until everything in Samhradh has been settled to tackle this…issue."

'_So he thought I lost my memories? Well, at least that's more convenient for me. I can't imagine explaining where his dear sister had been for the past year without making a fool of myself,' _Akemi mused, straining her ears as Sanada continued.

"It would have been easier for us if she's going to lodge at your castle for the time being. But now that the cat is out of the bag, there's no turning back." He paused to sigh again. "It seems unlikely she will ever forget about it in a hurry."

The King of Hearts made a noise as though to speak, but a polite knock on the door interrupted him. Muffled by the door between them, Akemi couldn't make out what was being said on the other side, but whatever it was, both monarchs left the room with haste not long after.

She waited for a full minute after their footsteps and voices completely faded away – in case they decided to return – did she open her eyes. She blinked a few times, allowing them to adjust to the daylight. With a bit of a struggle, she pushed her back off the mattress to sit up; the thick blanket that was keeping her warm fell into a messy pile on her lap.

Curious, she glanced around. It did not surprise her in the least this bedchamber looked unfamiliar.

Akemi exhaled despairingly. "I really should stop making a habit of fainting and waking up in an entirely different place – I might have to start with fainting." After deeming it pointless to wallow in self-pity several moments later, she shook her head and resumed studying the small room.

Light filtered through the closed curtains of a window, casting long shadows on the polished wooden floor. The room itself was modestly decorated with the rudimentary furniture. On the opposite side of the bed, there were two chairs facing her at an angle and a round coffee table standing in the middle. Two teacups, a teapot, and a vase of fresh blue irises sat on top of the table.

Akemi stared blankly at flowers for the longest time as her mind drifted back to their conversation.

At one point, her eyes strayed to the silver bracelet on her left wrist. The light reflecting off the beautifully crafted jewellery flickered as she turned her wrist experimentally. She traced the fleur-de-lis with one finger. As minutes ticked by, her eyes grew wider and wider with a look of utter disbelief reverberating in them.

'_Nagi-kun once said only two of these bracelets were ever made. One which I'm wearing –' _Her mind briefly had a flashback of a similar jewellery worn on the wrist of a certain young man who had been in this very same room a while ago _'– and the other in the possession of the King of Hearts!_ _This bracelet must be an engagement gift. It makes sense now. No wonder I can't take it off no matter how much I try!' _As if to test the theory, she pulled the bracelet, but it was stuck on as good as ever._ 'This is rigged with enchantments!'_ she groaned, dropping her head onto the soft pillow with a satisfying thud.

She clenched her eyes shut, and in the darkness, a fire suddenly flickered into existence and a huge wave of chaotic emotions came crashing down – drowning and suffocating her.

Akemi shot straight up in the bed with a loud gasp, clenching the front of her dress where her heart was pounding uncomfortably against her chest. For a fleeting moment, she'd felt like a hand was squeezing the organ ever so mercilessly. But it never came close to dying – for just as quickly, the pressure around her heart disappeared.

"Wh-what was that all about?" she rasped, wiping the sweat from her brow. "It felt so familiar – but why?" A scowl appeared on her forehead. "But that fire…I remember that fire."

She glanced down at the other jewellery peeking through the gaps between her fingers. So much had happened, she had forgotten all about the last dream.

After fumbling with the locking device for a few frustrating moments, the locket eventually fell opened in her hands. Cracks that ran across the glass like spider-webs, attained when the Princess threw it violently at the fireplace, greeted her eyes.

Tracing the cracks absent-mindedly with a thumb, her eyes glazed over as she thought back to the dream.

"'_Why? Why did you betray me?'" _she barely whispered, echoing the very last words uttered by the Princess as her mind pieced together the mystery.

_Betrayal…_

Assuming the Emperor deliberately kept the Princess in the dark for years, it would not be surprising the sister ran away in the moment of despair when the truth came out.

Akemi herself probably would do the same if she was in her shoes. She might not be the most romantic person in the world, but at least she held the firm belief that everyone had the right to make their own decision, especially if it concerned something as significant as marriage.

'_The Emperor must have bumped into the Red Queen's Magician while pursuing the Princess,' _she mused, absently brushing the locket with a thumb. _'That explains why he disappeared.' _

A couple of knock on the door jostled her back to Earth.

"May I come in?" a soft feminine voice called.

Akemi did not answer immediately, chewing her lips in apprehension. _'Who could it be?' _If the Emperor had left her alone in this room, then surely there wasn't any risk of permitting someone in.

"Of course," she replied, hastily shutting the locket.

The door swung opened; brightening up the room even more before it was shut behind the petite maid carrying an armful of towels and clothes. She had short light brown hair and a pair of green eyes gazing back from behind the large square glasses she wore.

"Good afternoon, Akemi-sama," the maid greeted with a curtsey. "I'm glad I've came at the right time," she added more to herself, smiling brightly at the guest. She separated the towels from the pile and handed a neatly folded dress to Akemi. "This is yours – the best our village has to offer. The King apologises if it doesn't suit your taste."

"That's alright. I'm not picky as long as I'm out of this horrid dress," she laughed it off sheepishly, gesturing at said wedding dress with her vacant hand. There were tears and mud stains in some places, but these weren't the reasons why she wanted out of this dress at the first chance. It was that Viscount, and nothing could make her happier than disassociating herself from the noble who tried to force her into a marriage. "Thank you umm…" her smile faltered a little, feeling somewhat at a loss.

"Oh! Goodness! Where are my manners?" the blushing maid fretted. "I must apologise –"

"It's fine. Really – I'm not offended or anything," Akemi briskly interjected with a wave of her hand. "Now your name?" she pressed; the poor girl looked like she was about the faint.

Quickly recomposing herself, she bowed deeply and said, "Hinata Chitose. I'm the owner of this inn."

'_Ah, so she's not a maid. That saved a lot of embarrassments,' _she chuckled wryly in her head. "Thank you. May I call you Chitose-san?" Somehow, it just seemed right.

Hinata blinked in surprise as though not expecting her first name to be used – not least by a royal whom she'd only just met. "I-if you want to," she smiled bashfully, scratching the side of cheek.

Akemi smiled gratefully at her.

The landlady placed the towels on top of a chest of drawers before turning to clear the table of the cups and teapot. "Since you're awake, I'll alert the King –"

"Oh, please don't!" Akemi blurted abruptly, startling Hinata whose hand was already reaching for the doorknob. She reddened at the outburst, and muttered a quick apology. After what happened at the forest, she wasn't ready to face the King of Hearts yet. Actually, in retrospect, she doubted she ever would want to face her _*gulp* _supposed fiancé.

At first, the bespectacled girl was reluctant, but seeing how distressed she was getting, Hinata eventually relented and promised she would not tell anyone while she's out to fetch water for the bath.

The room descended into silence after the landlady left, broken by the occasional twittering of birds and human activities beyond the window.

Akemi unfolded the dress and stretched her arms before her to inspect it. Though the fabric and design couldn't begin to compare with the ones she previously wore, the powder blue dress was nevertheless modest, which suited her well.

Shouts outside the window caused her to turn away from the mirror she was using to smooth her messy hair. She blinked in puzzlement; the noises were getting louder by the second.

Giving into her curiosity, she walked towards the window and gently peeled the curtain open, enough to make a small peep hole.

The inn was a two-storeys building, and Akemi found herself looking down from the top floor. It took her a few seconds to spot the source of interest in the far distance, where a mock swordfight was taking place before the entrance to a forest.

Awestruck children gathered around in a circle, watching with agape mouths as Marui and Akutagawa enthusiastically exchanged blows with their sticks. Akemi never knew so much energy was packed inside the latter. She glanced over to the edge of the forest, where several familiar figures stood; some cheering, while others stood idly underneath the shade of the trees, oblivious to the hopeful glances from the local girls lingering outside the circle. Clearly, the swordfight was no interest to the ladies whatsoever.

Akemi ticked off the names in her head as her eyes flickered from one face to another. A scowl crossed her features. Three monarchs were missing from the numbers, but that was shortly amended when a couple of them strode into her line of view.

Spotting their King approaching the circle, the girls immediately flocked to him like moths to a flame, tittering and constantly batting their eyelashes as they prattled on and on. Though his face remained aloof throughout the whole ordeal, the Emperor was shifting about on his feet rather restlessly. In contrast, the King of Hearts remained calm and composed, chuckling in an almost delicate manner every now and then.

When a pair of purplish blue eyes glanced her way, Akemi swiftly turned away from the window with a soft gasp, the curtain slipping from her grasps. She stood there, back leaning against the wall as her pulse and breathing returned to normal. _'I hope he didn't see me,' _she breathed a shaky sigh.

Amidst the noises drifting through the window, the floorboard outside her room suddenly creaked, startling Akemi who was fortunately quick to slap a hand over her mouth to stifle the yelp. Brown eyes darted to the gap beneath the door.

The silhouette of two feet was lingering uncertainly behind the wooden barrier that stood between her and whoever was dithering outside.

Eventually, the feet conceded and plodded away.

It wasn't until the jangle of metals disappeared down the corridor did she realise who it was.

XXX

Whatever discussion they were having, it was put on hold when Akemi arrived at the private dining room, bathed and wearing the powder blue dress.

The door behind her swung to a close with an ominous click that seemed to echo in her rapidly beating heart.

She fidgeted nervously, keeping her eyes on the ground. Should she say something to break the silence? It was getting increasingly awkward for her by the second. But what could she possibly say?

"I'm glad you're able to join us for lunch, Akemi-san," the King of Hearts spoke up.

Akemi tore her gaze from burning a hole in the floorboards just as he stood up from his chair and walked around the table. She caught a glimpse of Sanada, Oshitari and an unfamiliar young man with dark brown hair sitting behind the table before they were obscured by the King of Hearts.

He made a move to grab her hand, but his hand grasped only air when Akemi withdrew hers out of reflex.

With her eyes back on the ground, she wasn't sure if he was offended.

Hold on.

Why should she care what he thought? They're not even acquaintances and yet…

She chanced a glance at him, and was stunned to see a smile on his lips.

"It's nice to meet you," his smile widened; eyes betraying nothing but pure honesty. "I don't think there's a need for an introduction. You know who I am anyway," he chuckled light-heartedly. The King of Hearts moved to the back of an empty chair and pulled it out a little. "Come. Have a seat, please. The food here is excellent and I'm sure you don't want to miss it for the world."

As if on cue, her stomach gave a loud and rather menacing growl as though daring her to refuse a hot meal. Blushing furiously, she gulped down the temptation, but in the end, the smell of food wafting from the nearby kitchen was enough of an incentive for her to give in.

After helping her into the chair, he returned to his seat, which not-so coincidentally was the one right next to hers.

She sighed inwardly; this was going to be a long torturing lunch. She glanced around the table as food arrived. Her heart dulled painfully when she noticed a certain someone was absent from the table, remembering how she had reacted to his…curse.

Yes, it was most definitely a curse – for both of them.

"Umm…Oshitari-san," Akemi started, barely looking at the Chancellor who sat across her. She hesitated for a long while, opening her mouth a few times soundlessly until the rational part of her mind regained full control. "Wh-where is…Keigo-kun?"

The Chancellor appeared unsurprised by her query. He pushed his glasses. "He's tending to Winchester at the moment. He had his lunch earlier so he won't be joining us," he added, answering her unspoken question.

She dropped her gaze to the bowl of mushroom soup before her. "I see…" She hesitated for a few uneasy moments "Is he…angry?" she mumbled almost incoherently.

"That – I'm afraid you'll have to find out yourself," he replied cryptically in a polite tone. He briefly paused to drink his tea. "But I'm curious to know why you reacted rather…ahh…excessively to his curse?"

Akemi winced sharply; the weight in her heart grew with the immense guilt. But it was the feeling of embarrassment that was putting her off from giving him an explanation.

"Ranidaphobia – Akemi has a fear of frogs since young."

All eyes went to the brunette who was carving his fish into thinner slices. It would have been fine if it weren't for the fact he was using a sharp cutlery with his eyes closed, and yet his fingers remained attached to the rest of his body.

Akemi squinted at his features. Slowly, but surely, something about him struck a chord.

"Y-you're…" she whispered incredulously.

The stranger shifted his 'gaze' to meet hers steadily. A smile crossed his features. "What took you so long, Akemi?" he said in a voice she had not heard since the moorland incident that felt like years ago.

She sputtered. "But you're…I mean…that is to say…you're…human…"

"Renji is a shape-shifter," Sanada piped up. "But he prefers to stay in his owl form."

The Royal Adviser merely shrugged. "It's more convenient and faster to travel that way."

"_Renji?_"

"My actual name is Yanagi Renji."

Her eyebrows furrowed into a deep frown. "Then, why did you introduce yourself as Nagi to me when we first met?"

"It was too risky to use my real name while we were travelling through Samhradh," Yanagi rationalised calmly. "For you, it is fine since many believe you're a marketplace tale."

She shook her head fervently. Names weren't important now. "How – where did you come from? I thought the vine creature got you."

"Remember the owl that nearly attacked you last night, Akemi-san?" the King of Hearts said, nearly startling her for she had forgotten that she was sitting next to him. "It was him, but not quite."

"Which is which?" Akemi asked with an irritated scowl; she was in no mood for riddles and her patience was visibly running short.

"The Red Queen was controlling him with magic," Oshitari explained.

"This village had several close calls with a roguish owl. But the people were too scared to go near it, claiming that it wasn't an ordinary bird. Eventually, they requested for help. It seemed like an interesting case, so I personally came down to investigate. I must say, it was a great decision," he smiled brightly at her.

It might have been her imagination or it was the trick of the light from the fireplace, but she might have seen a look of sadness fleetingly crossed those purplish blue eyes before she hastily broke off the eye contact.

XXX

Lunch was – as Akemi predicted – an awkward affair.

Nobody raised the engagement during the conversation even when the table was cleared of the empty dishes.

It was the elephant in the room.

Huge, but a deliberately ignored presence – just like the person sitting next to her.

Akemi spent most of the time in complete silence, half-listening to the idle chit-chat while sipping her tea in false pretence. But it proved difficult because a large part of her mind was too conscious of _him_.

At least he wasn't talking to her…

"May I request for your company for a short walk, Akemi-san?"

…spoken too soon

Akemi wanted to say no, but…she contemplated…perhaps this would be the perfect time to speak her mind. She bobbed her head in a nod and mutely followed him out of the inn and into the afternoon sunshine.

She kept a small distance between them as she trailed after him, wondering if this was going to be a mere leisure stroll around the village. Her eyes caught the glint of his sword, bringing her attention to the King of Hearts. Akemi studied him; there wasn't much to garner from this angle, except for the smile that never seemed to leave his lips. Though his eyes were staring ahead, his posture was alert and there was an air of dignity in his strides.

But that was only the outward aspect. From her brief exchange, he seemed friendly – and compared to Atobe – more level-headed.

So deep in her thoughts, Akemi didn't realise a group of small children was following her until the bravest lad tugged on one of her sleeves.

He had the most curious twist on top of his copper hair that reminded her of ice-cream.

"Neh! Where are you from, onee-chan?" he asked; cheeks flushing deeper with the excitement of meeting someone new.

"Eh? Ah…" A flustering Akemi floundered for an answer; caught off guard by the presence of the kids that her brain was not working properly. She was prepared to say Britain, but caught herself just in time. She couldn't possibly say where she's from without arousing suspicion. But it didn't feel right to say Samhradh either.

Someone walked around her and crouched in front of the inquisitive child. Akemi blinked rapidly several times before she registered it was the King of Hearts.

"Onee-chan is from the faraway Kingdom of Samhradh, Urayama-kun. So she's feeling a bit tired from the travel. Why don't you and your friends go play? You can pester her tomorrow all you want," he grinned widely.

Her eyebrows sprang up, wearing an incredulous expression. _'P-pester!? I surely do not want to be pestered!' _

But the children were already running off, giggling and tossing a green ball between them.

"I'm sorry, Akemi-san," he chuckled at her expression, rising to his feet. The smile returned to his lips. "But you do look like you need a rest."

"Shouldn't I be in bed? Why then did you ask me to accompany you on this walk?" she retorted in a flat tone.

The smile waned subtly. "I thought it will help take your mind off whatever it is bothering you."

Akemi narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Something told her he knew what it was, but was pretending not to.

Someone tapped on her shoulder.

Whoever it was, the King seemed to be well acquainted with that person, for he nodded in acknowledgment.

But that someone turned out to be a dapper scarecrow sporting a pair of glasses on his expressionless face. If that wasn't the least odd, he tipped his top hat at them and returned it to its place on top of a purple wig.

"Errr…" came the intelligent response. She was at best lost for words.

The King chuckled in amusement. "Akemi-san. I would like you to meet Yagyuu-kun – he's an enchanted scarecrow. He keeps pests away from the village's crops." Akemi blinked owlishly, not really comprehending his words. "Yagyuu-kun – this is Akemi."

The scarecrow tilted forward a little in a bow.

"I-it's a pleasure to meet you too," Akemi chuckled uneasily.

Yagyuu tipped his hat at both of them in farewell and hopped back to his home on the one pole propping him upright, leaving a rather stumped Akemi standing beside the King.

After a long while, they glanced at each other, and for some weird reason, burst into fits of laughter.

"Wh-what was that all about?" she gasped between breaths as she giggled uncontrollably – until she realised the other person had stopped laughing with her. Akemi glanced over at the King, who was smiling warmly at her; a strange glint in his eyes. "Wh-what are you looking at?" she demanded, putting on her guard.

"I've never heard you laugh, and always wanted to since a long time ago."

For all her previous effort, an angry blush crept up her cheeks, but it disappeared as quickly as it came with a mental shake of her head.

A grim atmosphere hung over their heads as seconds slowly ticked by.

"How long have you known about it?" Akemi eventually broke the silence.

"Since I ascended the throne as King of Hearts, but I knew you long before that."

She blinked in surprise. "Really?"

"I suppose it's time for me to come clean about it now that you're standing right here." His smile turned apologetic as he fumbled inside the folds of his clothes and took out a bunch of ancient-looking papers.

Wearing a sceptical expression, she took the papers and leafed through each of them. Judging by the format, they were letters, but the writings scrawled across the papers were unfamiliar to Akemi. Aware that he was watching her closely, she hid the confusion behind a scowl.

Strangely, her mind seemed able to translate two things:

The name of the sender, Akemi, and that of the receiver, Yuki-kun – the Princess' pen-pal.

"Is this some kind of a hoax?" The King of Hearts did not bat an eye when she waved the letters in front of his face. "Did you forge these? Because damn if do and damn if you don't!" she almost shouted, struggling to supress the irrational anger.

His blue eyes turned grave, though he kept the smile on. "No, I didn't; they are a hundred percent genuine. Trust me on this. _Please_," he implored, catching her hands and effectively stopping her waving them like mad. Gently, he pried the letters from her grasps and returned them to the safety of his clothes.

"I understand why you're angry," he said, motioning them to continue the walk; Akemi begrudgingly complied, but only because she wanted answers. "Yes, I could have revealed who I am, yet I never did." He snuck a glance at her for a brief moment before turning his eyes ahead. "Don't get me wrong. I hid this fact from you because I was worried of a possible interception." Akemi raised an eyebrow. "If it fell into the wrong hands and words got out that I have a fiancée, your life would be at risk. There are many people out there who will stop at nothing to satisfy their greed – and taking you as hostage for ransom is one of them."

'_Lying was the best way to protect you' _–was what he was trying to say.

"It's the reason why I'd asked that you to refrain from using the royal stamps, and I did not use my full name, Yukimura Seiichi."

'_Yukimura Seiichi…his name sounds familiar…' _she mused; eyebrows scrunched into a frown. So many questions she wanted to ask, and trying to pick one out was a struggle the deeper she dwelled on them. Akemi did not realise she had stopped walking altogether and was gripping the sides of her skull until something warm and soft was pressed against her face. In a blink of an eye, the splitting headache vanished.

"Are you feeling alright?" Yukimura asked; concern written all over his face. "I know it's a lot to digest. Perhaps we should go back – you need a rest," he suggested briskly, dropping his hand to rest it on her shoulder. But just as he was about to steer her back towards the village, his hand was gently plucked away.

"Yukimura-san," Akemi began; a strange compelling urge came over her when she hesitated for a moment. "How binding is the engagement?" She lifted her gaze to stare unwaveringly into his, "Because I would like to annul it."

They stared at each other for a dubious moment. Then –

He chuckled.

"I was wondering when you will bring this up." His eyes glinted with an odd look as he regarded the person in front of him. "Though the agreement was sealed with magic, it is still possible to break it. But we will need Genichiro's help in this."

Akemi was taken aback at how readily he agreed, and then slightly affronted. Truthfully, she had been hoping he'd put up a fight.

"Much am I confident in making you happy, I doubt you will be content with an arranged marriage throughout the rest of your life. Am I right?"

XXX

At the far corner of the inn's pub, the Emperor and the Royal Adviser were bent over a serious game of chess. It was that time of day when the pub was devoid of any souls. So upon hearing footsteps falling on the wooden floorboards, they glanced up from the chessboard to find Yukimura and Akemi had returned from their walk. But something about the latter's body language intrigued them.

Shock didn't quite cover it when the King of Hearts told Sanada about their decision to annul the engagement in Akemi's stead, seeing as nervousness had sewn up her lips tightly.

At first, the Emperor was disinclined to the notion; having no qualms about the arrangement made by their predecessors. After all, he was certain his sister would be in good hands with his best friend as her husband. He drew a long sigh, shifting his gaze to Akemi, who was gazing at him pleadingly, then finally to Yukimura. Neither of them was willing to back down.

"You won't regret this?" Sanada asked his best friend; his expression serious. "There's no turning back once the agreement is annulled."

"I've made up my mind," Yukimura replied confidently; a strange glint in his eyes which did not escape Akemi's notice.

"Fine..." the Emperor grunted, prompting a gasp of delight. He turned to his best friend. "Do you have any idea how to do it?"

"Nope," Yukimura replied frankly with a bright smile. At the look of horror on Akemi's face, he added with a sheepish chuckle, "I said there's a possibility, but never mentioned anything about having the knowledge of negating the agreement."

Her heart and the smile she wore plummeted to the ground. The temperature around them seemed to have dropped to the minus degrees too. When Yukimura apologised, it bounced right off her head.

"If I may," Yanagi piped up, garnering attention from the two monarchs, "The palace archives actually stated there _is _a simple way to break the agreement without any terrible consequences."

Akemi snapped out from her stupor. "Why didn't you say so in the first place!?" she glowered.

"Well, nobody asked me."

She glared reproachfully at him, taking several deep breaths to calm down. _'I can pulverise him another time,' _she rationalised, venting a sigh of exasperation."So? What should we do?"

"Actually, you won't be doing anything apart from holding out your left arm and remain still while these two do the work," he casually gestured at the equally befuddled monarchs with a thumb.

XXX

Akemi gazed down at the tangle of arms below her as Sanada and Yukimura repeated the string of words which came out of Yanagi's mouth. The Royal Adviser reasoned that it was possible to lawfully annul the engagement provided the current monarch of both parties consent it. But to make sure neither of them botch up the ritual, the betroths' bracelets must be broken at the same time; a challenging task which Yukimura quickly tackled (with a bit of help from Yanagi).

Biting on her lip, she tried not to squirm as a strange tickling sensation ran up and down her skin; unnerved by the flow of magic. Unlike her, Yukimura remained composed throughout the procedure, even wearing a smile.

At the signal, the fingers hooked around her bracelet tensed for a brief moment before a sharp crack met their ears when the piece of jewellery was snapped cleanly in two.

Akemi breathed a sigh of relief; her heart feeling lighter. She held her bare wrist in a possessive manner, glancing over to Yukimura examining the four fragments of the bracelets in his hand with great interest.

"I hope we can remain as friends, Akemi-san," Yukimura smiled, pocketing fragments. Then with a mischievous look in his eyes, he added, "But you know; if you ever change your mind -"

"Don't even go any further," she narrowed her eyes dangerously.

Even when he laughed it off as a joke and a truce was declared by the Emperor before she could do something stupid, a new sense of foreboding settled over her heart.

And she was about to find out why…

XXX

"You're leaving?" Akemi couldn't quite believe her ears. She was sitting in the next table by herself, drinking tea, while the other three were deeply immersed in the ongoing chess match when Oshitari walked in with the news.

The Chancellor nodded, pushing his glasses. If he had noticed the bracelet was missing from her wrist, he gave no opened acknowledgement. "In an hour or so. We need to head back to Geamhradh while there is enough light."

"You could always stay another night and set off tomorrow morning," Yukimura suggested. "You'll have plenty of daylight hours then."

Oshitari vented a sigh; clearly he wasn't pleased with the decision. "You're right, but Keigo is bent on leaving today." He briefly glanced over to the dejected form of Akemi, who was staring down at her tea.

"I see. That's too bad," Yukimura politely remarked. "Well then, I will ask my guards to prepare the farewell gifts. It's nothing too heavy – I promise," he added with a chuckle, rising from his chair.

"I'll help!" Akemi abruptly blurted, jumping to her feet and nearly knocking the teacup off the table in the process. Her face turned into the perfect shade of an overripe tomato when she realised they were all staring at her.

"Of course, you're welcome to join," Yukimura smiled appreciatively.

XXX

It was becoming more and more apparent to Kirihara that something was bothering her.

"OWW!" he cried when an apple landed squarely on his head, which was frequently mistaken for the wicket basket sitting innocently at his feet.

"I'm so sorry! Didn't mean it!" A slightly distracted Akemi shouted from the top of the ladder for the umpteenth time, not pausing in the middle of rummaging through the leaves to check on the Imperial Guard.

"I shouldn't have let her do it," Kirihara mumbled, tossing the apple that had hit him into the half-full basket. He winced at the pain as he massaged the sore spot with one hand while keeping the other securely on the ladder.

They were at the apple orchard with Marui and Jackal – those two were having a speed apple-picking competition nearby – gathering the King of Heart's idea of a farewell gift for Atobe and his brethren.

Akemi paused just as she was about to drop the apple in her hand. Tried as she might, she couldn't get her mind off the thought they were leaving soon…that _he _was eager to go.

Juice oozed out from where her fingernails dug into the fruit's flesh. With an indignant huff, she forcefully flung the apple downwards, not flinching when a cry of pain from the bottom of the ladder shortly followed.

'_That insolent jerk of a King! He's doing it on purpose because I didn't break his stupid curse and turn him back into human!' _Akemi froze in mid-attempt to vent her frustration on the apples (and Kirihara's head). Sighing in dismay, she cradled the apples in her hands; heart heavy with guilt. _'But…he has always been there when I needed help, even when it meant putting his own life at risk …and yet…I ran when he needed mine…' _Her face fell. _'I'm really…really such a terrible person.'_

A whinny from the distance ripped her from the miserable thoughts.

She shifted her gaze to the lines of cherry blossoms somewhere beyond the orchard, and squinted at the two tiny figures idling beside a river.

Strange; she recognised them in a click. But, she shrugged it off and clambered down the ladder – much to Kirihara's relief (anymore and his head would grow to the size of a pumpkin).

As soon as her feet touched the ground, she grabbed an apple from the basket. "Why don't you take my place? I'll be right back."

"Eh? But where are you going?"

But she was already strolling away; her strides long and hasty. "I won't be long!" she promised, leaving a perplexed Kirihara to his own device.

XXX

A sullen figure sat slumped on a boulder beside the riverbank; a bouquet of bluebells lying forgotten by his feet. Occasionally, he would throw a pebble into the water in a half-hearted manner just to amuse himself for a split second; oblivious to the look of irritation from his trusty steed.

He drew a long sigh, absently bouncing a pebble in his hand.

This wasn't the proud master he came to know, and Winchester had quite enough of it after several failed attempts to cheer him up. Snorting angrily, he butted the back of the helmet without any reservation, earning a startled yelp that sounded somewhere between anger and surprise.

The pebble dropped from his grasp and disappeared into the depths of the water with a splash.

"What did you do that for!?" Atobe demanded hotly, snapping his head around to glare at the horse.

Winchester only glared back, snorting loudly at his face. Suddenly, his ears perked up at a faint noise coming from the trees. He turned his large head away and nickered at the source.

Raising an eyebrow, Atobe turned to the general direction of where the grey was plodding to, and froze.

XXX

"No! Go back!" Akemi whispered frantically at the approaching horse. A needless attempt seeing as Atobe had already spotted her hiding behind the cherry blossom tree. Winchester merely sped up into a canter. But before she could bolt, the horse was already behind her, nudging her towards the White King, who was slowly rising to his feet.

She kept her arms securely around the two apples she brought with her as the relentless Winchester sent her staggering down the riverbank, stopping in time before she could crash into Atobe.

Quick as lightning, the grey dexterously pinched an apple from her arms and galloped back to the trees, looking particularly smug with an apple dangling between his teeth.

A long awkward silence stretched between them as they stared at each other until Akemi was the first to cave.

"I-I heard you're leaving soon," she murmured tentatively, diverting her eyes to the river behind him. "This is for you," she shoved the remaining apple forwards; still not looking at him, "I'm sorry it's such a shoddy gift. But –" she flicked a glance at the motionless Atobe "–when everything's settled, I promise – and cross my heart – you will have something more worthwhile than a wee apple."

"Aren't you afraid of ore-sama?"

Akemi gazed at him in alarm. "What are you talking about? Oh…" she trailed off, blushing in realisation. "But…you're not the one I'm afraid of."

He clenched his fists tightly, turning his knuckles white. "No, you're right. It's this frog face of ore-sama!" His foot accidentally caught the bluebells when he kicked the ground in frustration, sending the flowers he had so diligently picked for _her _scattering into the air. Atobe, realising what he had done, could only stand helplessly and watch the flowers get swept down the river by the fast current. He stamped the ground out of anger, not stopping until a timid voice called out to him.

Akemi bit down on her lips, scuffing the toes of her shoe. She opened her mouth to speak, but nervousness and hesitation rendered her voice box temporarily useless. Sighing in frustration, she raked a hand through her hair.

"That bracelet…" Atobe blurted, staring at her wrist where the bracelet never seemed to leave her side "…it's gone."

Akemi brought her hand down to massage the bare skin almost sub-consciously. "Oh, that was just a symbolic jewellery to show that I was engaged to the King of Hearts." _'Oops, forgotten to tell him that.' _

After seeing the bracelet on Yukimura, he had already known what it was. But, there's a more pressing matter. "You said _was_?" he prodded, trying not to sound obviously hopeful.

A large smile graced her features. "The engagement's annulled. I'm a free woman – girl," she amended hastily with a sheepish chuckle.

Atobe found himself grinning as well; delight etched across his face.

"Umm…Keigo-kun."

The timid voice was back.

The grip on the apple tightened. She gulped down the hesitation; time's quickly running out for them. With an air of resolution, she turned her eyes back at him. "I want to break that curse of yours," she stated firmly, earning a look of surprise. Her heart clenched. "I'm sick and tired of being useless…of being a burden to everyone," she added in a soft whisper, casting her eyes downward. Akemi _hated _worrying others, and she had been foolishly permitting them to even if it was mostly unintentional. She returned her gaze to him. "Please, just let me return the favour. Take it as a gift of gratitude from me – for always being there when I needed somebody."

Atobe stared unblinkingly at the offered apple sitting between her hands. "But your phobia…" A voice that creepily resembled Oshitari's spoke in his head; _'You fool! That was a perfect chance and you threw it into the fire!' _

"Hang on…how do you know it's a phobia?" she eyed him suspiciously, bringing the apple back to her. "I never told you anything about –" Then, it hit her. "You were there!" she gasped in disbelief, pointing an accusing finger at him. "You weren't tending to Winchester –" "No! Wait! Ore-sama –" "– You were eavesdropping outside the dining room!"

Caught red-handed, he drew a long sigh of resignation and threw up his hands. "Fine; ore-sama was eavesdropping," he admitted, sulkily.

"Perhaps spending a lot of time with Oshitari-san, you're taking a leaf out of his book," Akemi observed; eyes wide with horror.

"Don't you dare compare ore-sama to that scheming four-eyes!" he roared, shaking an angry fist at her.

Akemi chortled into her hand, causing him to stare at her in complete bafflement. "I'm so sorry! It was just a joke!"

"Tsch!" he glared irritably, though he couldn't find himself to muster anymore anger.

She continued to giggle senselessly for a few moments before sobering up; a determined smile upon her lips. "So? Are you going to take up on that offer? I doubt you will want to prance around your castle with that head of yours," she smirked, teasingly.

This time it was he who snorted. "Please – as if ore-sama's bothered by attracting attentions. Ore-sama's born to be in the spotlight!" he declared, puffing his chest out with pride.

"Okay then. You can live the rest of your life out as a quarter of an amphibian and I won't give a hoot," Akemi remarked offhandedly, turning around to leave but she was promptly held back.

"No. Please, don't go. Get rid of this curse right now," Atobe briskly beseeched, gripping onto her shoulders tightly.

She threw him a look of exasperation and turned around. "You're lucky I'm doing this willingly."

"Ore-sama's not going to take any responsibility if you faint," he warned; though he's undoubtedly going to blame himself in the end.

Akemi shrugged indifferently. "That's fine. I'm prepared to." She stepped closer to him, scrutinising his helmet. Self-deception was truly a blessing. But…

"How are we going to do this?" she mused aloud, tapping her chin. "D-does it really matter if it's on the lips?" she whispered, suddenly looking very bashful.

Atobe planted his hands on his hips, leaning forward slightly. "Oi oi, aren't we super eager here?" he teased, snickering at her face which uncannily resembled the apple in her hands, "Ore-sama won't mind it at all if you want more than one little kiss." If he had eyebrows, his probably wriggling them just to vex her.

"Mature – very mature," she retorted scathingly, crossing her arms. With a frustrated sigh, she set the apple on top of the boulder occupied by Atobe not long ago. There was still a hint of red on her cheeks when she glared irritably at His Royal Pain-in-the-butt, sensing a smirk behind that tin can of a helmet.

He shrugged his massive shoulder guards. "You broke your brother's curse," he said, as though that would settle the matter.

"Yeah, but kissing him on the lips is just plain _wrong_," she reasoned, flatly. Truth be told, she still couldn't quite understand what came over her at the dungeon.

"We could give it a try –"

"NO!" Akemi blasted his ridiculous suggestion without a second thought. She reddened, muttering a sheepish apology.

Surprisingly, he waved it off. "Doesn't matter. Ore-sama doubt you can bear these irresistible lips for one second anyway." He gestured vaguely to his helmet. "Why don't we do this?" he added hastily after seeing the murderous look on her face. "Ore-sama will remove the helmet, but you keep your eyes closed if you want to stay conscious, and just aim for the cheek."

"What about your hand?" Akemi suggested instead.

His shoulders slumped when he sighed, taking off both his gauntlets, he held out his hands for her to see; they were distinctively lacking in the frog aspects. "The curse only affects ore-sama's head."

Akemi sighed in resignation. "Can I trust you not to do anything funny like turning your lips on me at the last moment?"

"Geez. What do you take ore-sama for?" he scoffed derisively; his heart already beating rapidly with anticipation. "Now, come on. Time is running out."

She glared reproachfully at him before closing her eyes. The distinctive sounds of his helmet being pulled off and a sigh of relief reverberating in his throat met her ears, and even when she was growing self-conscious of the pair of arms wrapping around her in a loose embrace, she stood her ground. This was her decision. With his guidance, her hands gingerly worked their way up his arms and onto his shoulders to balance on her toes, arching her neck as far back without cricking it.

'_I'll just make this quick,' _she vowed, trying hard not to wonder how his skin feels like.

XXX

Head turned the other way so that she could reach his cheek, Atobe struggled to focus on the thought of regaining his glorious human face and not the imminent kiss.

But something was wrong.

The breath tickling his skin seemed to be coming out short and unsteady. He sensed the coldness even before realising the hands were slipping off his shoulders. It took him a second longer to comprehend the situation, and caught the limp body before the head could hit the ground thanks to his quick reflex.

"Akemi!" he shouted, stooping on one knee while cradling her unconscious form. He gazed at her ghostly pale face, muttering a curse. "Idiot – you took a peek didn't you!?"

His rebuke was (unsurprisingly) met with silence.

Venting a sigh of frustration, he shook his head in dismay – and here he thought his trouble was over. He studied her features closely, brushing away the pesky strands of hair that were obscuring her face before resting his hand on a cheek; inwardly thankful he had taken off his gauntlets beforehand. His dark blue eyes strayed to the lips, slightly parted as though inviting him to –

He shook his head vigorously, reprimanding himself for allowing such inappropriate thought to cross his mind. He shouldn't be taking advantage of the situation; it was just _wrong_.

Yet…

He weighed the consequences inside his head, brushing a tentative thumb against the corner of her lips. Akemi wanted to break his curse, but she's currently out cold. If he lent a hand, then her wish would be fulfilled. She would understand…hopefully.

'_It will just be a light brush – a quick peck,' _he reasoned; warmth spreading across his face. He gulped nervously, heart pounding in his ears and mouth turning dry as he moved his hand round the back of her head. A shadow fell over her face as he brought his down to meet hers.

"Akemi…when everything's settled, ore-sama will–"

* * *

**Cameos/roles explained:**

***Yukimura = King of Hearts**

***Urayama = freshman from Rikkai (canon character) **

***Yagyuu = the enchanted scarecrow, inspired by 'Turnip Head' from 'Howl's Moving Castle'**

**Thanks for reading and see you next chapter! ;) **


	8. The Red Queen & Epilogue

**Thanks to abc123pie for following! :) **

**If you've never read chapter 13 of Always Look on the Bright Side of Life where Akemi's father shared her past, a section of this chapter will confuse you. So be warned! This chapter is opened for interpretation. **

* * *

'_The heart lacking in something is shrouded in light and takes the shape of a girl_

_Flying toward the endless beginning,  
to the true end'_

Excerpt from 'Your Silver Garden', by Kajiura Yuki

XXX

Light was becoming scarce as twilight approached, but enough for the Emperor to navigate through the village's orchards without the risk of stumbling into trees. He glanced up at the silhouette of the full moon, barely visible beneath the thin veil of clouds drifting across the sky. A sigh, laced with exhaustion and relief, escaped through his parted lips as he tore his gaze from admiring the abyss; yet the tenseness in his shoulders remained.

Dark brown eyes flickered about the shadows of the orchard. It was quiet except for the rustling of his clothes and the occasional birdsongs.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but a part of him felt otherwise. What could it be?

He mentally shook it off as he stopped by a particular apple tree; a basket brimming with apples stood beside a ladder. He looked up to find Kirihara in the middle of deciding which one of the two apples in his hands looked delicious.

"Akaya!"

With a startled yelp, Kirihara accidentally lost his grip on both apples, and spent a heart-stopping moment flailing his arms about as he wobbled dangerously on top of the ladder. Fortunately, the swaying stopped and he breathed a sigh of relief. Then, remembering a familiar voice, his breath hitched in his throat; blood draining from his face at an alarming rate. Praying fervently for a saviour, he lowered his gaze to the ground and flinched sharply.

There, glowering at him while massaging his head was none other than his monarch; the two apples he dropped lying innocently at his feet.

"E-Emperor! H-how nice to see you here," the hapless Imperial guard chuckled sheepishly. He jumped off the ladder with a grunt. "Wh-what's up?" he grinned, boyishly.

Sanada fought the urge to roll his eyes at the young guard. He had more pressing matters to attend. "Oshitari-san and the others are ready to leave anytime as soon as Atobe-san appears. We're going to send them off at the border," he glanced around the vicinity, looking for someone in particular, "Where's Akemi? I'm sure she wants to…" he trailed off, distracted by a flicker of movement in the shadow of an apple tree in the distance.

A small figure hopped out into the light, pausing to scratch an itchy spot.

Despite a year had passed, he recognised that furry animal the instant he laid eyes on it. That was no ordinary rabbit. And if _he's _here, that meant…

"Akaya! Head back to the village and alert Seiichi! The Magician is here!" an unusually agitated Sanada ordered tersely, unsheathing the sword loaned to him by the King of Hearts.

Without waiting to see if the guard complied, he spun on his heels and ran towards the rabbit, who upon hearing the thunderous footsteps and seeing the murderous glint in his eyes, turned tail and fled.

Apple trees morphed into cherry blossom trees as the relentless Emperor gave chase. Amid the harsh breathing and blood pounding, his mind registered the muffled sound of gushing water that seemed to be gradually growing louder.

Paws scuffled when the rabbit abruptly skidded to a halt and did a hasty U-turn. With a serious of squeaks that sounded very much like cackles, the devious Magician dove into the safety of a burrow he had dug up earlier.

But Sanada was a second too late in noticing the sudden change of route. He threw out a hand to grab him, only for his fingers to brush the empty spot where its tail had been.

He caught himself in time before he could barrel into a tree. Breathing a sigh of relief, he briskly retraced his steps and crouched beside the burrow. He glared into the darkness, but nothing stirred for a long while; the Magician managed to escape right under his nose. That thought alone infuriated him. Muttering a curse, he punched the ground hard, leaving an imprint of his knuckles on the soil.

With a frustrated sigh, he made a move to stand, but stiffened when shouts ahead reverberated in the air for a few seconds before the wood was once again filled with the gushing noise, he now realised must be a river.

Tightening the grip on the sword's hilt, he cautiously crept towards the source until he reached the edge of the wood, where the ground was noticeably wetter. Spotting two figures by the riverbank, he quickly went into hiding and peered around the tree. At that instant, the gears in his mind grinded to a halt.

The sword slipped from his slackened grasp and fell onto the ground with a dull thud.

Yet, the frog-man remained blissfully unaware of his presence.

He who strangely resembled the cursed White King was crouched on one knee, cradling an unconscious girl – or perhaps she's sound asleep – in his arms, while seemingly battling with a voice inside his tumultuous mind. One distinctively human hand moved across the ghostly pale face in a tentative caress, ending at the lips where the beast's dark blue eyes lingered. Moments passed, and he moved in for the kiss.

Sanada wouldn't stand for it – beast or king.

Certainly not since the frog-man was about to befoul the lips of Akemi.

XXX

Atobe was precisely about an inch from kissing this curse goodbye when his sensitive amphibious skin sensed a sudden flare of heat in the air that felt dreadfully familiar. Slowly and reluctantly, he leant back and shifted his eyes to the trees, where the rigid figure of the Emperor stood. One look at his face and the King knew reasoning with him would only prove futile.

But Atobe wasn't about to lose another opportunity.

In a fluid movement, he scooped up the limp form and hastily scrambled to his feet, the movement snapping Sanada out of his daze. Like a crooked villain from the fairy tales, Atobe fled the scene without a backward glance, carrying an unconscious Princess in his arms as he made a dash towards the woods, hoping to throw the Emperor of bad timing off in the labyrinth.

Sword back in his grasp, the brother followed in pursuit, but the earlier chase had left him slightly worn-out than he was about to admit.

"PUT HER DOWN, YOU FIEND!" Sanada roared between gasps, startling the birds within the vicinity from their humble nests. "NOW!"

Needless to say, putting her down meant stopping, and thus increasing the risk of getting clobbered to death; simple calculation. That in mind, Atobe hastened his feet several notches while keeping a firm hold around his cargo, skirting trees and bushes that came in his way.

Deeper and deeper into the woods they went, where silence once reigned and their path was lit up by rays of dusky light that were able to penetrate through the forest canopy.

Atobe did not falter once as his mind was focused on getting to a safe place, all too aware of the shouts of abuse drifting from the back.

The swearing was not directed at him, but at the trees that had mysteriously sprung up to block the Emperor's path.

If Atobe had glanced back, he would have noticed this. As it were, he kept running blindly through the woods until his left foot was caught in a tangle of roots and was sent flying across several feet of the ground.

As gravity took hold and the initial shock abated, he twisted around in mid-air and hugged Akemi fiercely to his torso in an attempt to shield her from the fall. Not a moment too soon, his back hit solid ground, knocking the air out of him. He tightened his grip as he skidded on his back to a complete stop.

Atobe laid there for goodness-how-long, catching his breath and blinking sweat from his eyes. He stared into the abyss far above his head, behind the canopies of the towering trees. Feeling slightly less woozy, he propped himself up on an elbow, the vacant arm keeping the limp body from sliding off.

He whipped his head about, straining his ears to listen past his harsh breathing.

It was quiet and there's no sign of a murderous brother wishing death on him.

Venting a sigh of relief, Atobe then diverted his attention to Akemi, who had not stirred once during the whole kerfuffle.

A crease of a frown appeared on his forehead as he sat up with difficulty, crossing his legs underneath him. He hastily brushed away her fringe that had fallen over half of her face and studied her features carefully. She was breathing steadily and appeared relatively uninjured; even seemingly unbothered by the hard, cold metal of his armour pressing against her cheek.

Relieved he might be, he couldn't help but roll his eyes exasperatedly at her. "Unbelievable," Atobe shook his head, "After all that, you're still out like a light. Pretty sure you can give Jirou a run for your money."

In hindsight, it's a good thing she was still unconscious as a voice inside his head casually reminded him of the curse.

He searched for any signs of movement in the shadows. All remained calm.

Grinning, he carefully readjusted his hold on Akemi so that the back of her head rested on his upper arm. He gripped her chin and gently tilted her head up.

Nothing happened as seconds ticked by.

Hesitation and a nervously thumping heart made sure of that. The smile he wore was stiff and his eyes no longer held the anticipation.

He shook his head vigorously, sighing in frustration. Time was running out and he needed to find his way out from this forsaken wood before the last of the light faded. So with a renewed determination, he cleared his throat as though preparing to make a formal speech.

Akemi's turquoise locket suddenly emitted a blue light, effectively catching the attention of Atobe who was about to lean forward.

He scowled irritably at the trinket for interrupting the moment, but then curiosity piqued when he noticed the light was actually pulsing weakly – and unlike the cursed rubies – at a tranquil pace of its own. The light grew brighter with each pulse, casting his face in an almost ghoulish glow.

He snapped his head up as the locket fell back to its dormant state; the unconscious girl wrapped in a protective embrace once more.

The unnatural silence he'd disregarded earlier unsettled him, and there's an ominous quality in the air he hadn't notice until now – looming ever closer. Suddenly, the gnarled roots of the trees sprang into life, some emerging from the ground sent chunks of earth flying into the air. Like giant snakes, they slithered towards him.

The tremors nearly sent Atobe collapsing onto his back when he tried to stand. He kicked at the approaching roots while struggling to maintain upright. Cursing colourfully, he freed one arm to grab his rapier, only to find his hip was empty as the next.

The roots lashed out, wrapping themselves around his thrashing limbs. Despite ensnared to the ground, Atobe tried the damn hardest as the roots were forcefully wrenching his arms loose from the girl. He threw himself forward, catching the limp body before it could slip away. It didn't take him long to fully comprehend the situation; they wanted Akemi.

He would twist around, even if that meant squashing Akemi with his weigh, but the roots had his back pinned onto the forest ground good. He squirmed and kicked as much as possible for a person tangled up by possessed roots, clutching her against his armour in a crushing hold that was sure to jostle her back to consciousness. But she remained quiet and unmoving in his arms.

The vine monster from the moors was bent on killing. This however…

Atobe never imagined having a tug-of-war with a bunch of animated roots. The grip around his limbs tautened severely, impeding his movements as the roots pried open a decent-sized gap between their bodies and slithered through. They wrapped around his torso as they did with her abdomen. One brushing past the locket recoiled sharply as though scalded upon contact; but he didn't notice it.

Outnumbered, the roots eventually overpowered him.

Atobe watched in horror as Akemi was plucked from his grasp. She dangled lifelessly in the air, her feet swaying slightly over the ground as the roots began to haul her away.

"Akemi!"

An animalistic roar ripped through his throat as he broke an arm free from the mass tangle of roots and threw it forward.

"Akemi!"

He thrust himself forward; anything to get closer to her, but the remaining roots held him back. His clawing hand met nothing but air for a few frustrating moments until – with stab of joy – he felt her fingers lightly brushed against his. Just as he was about to grab them, more roots emerged from the ground and caught his arm. He tried shaking them off, but the roots crawling over his body were just as relentless to the point he couldn't move anymore, wrapping his entire form in a wooden cocoon. Only his head was spared from the agony.

Nearby, the tangle of roots ensnaring Akemi coiled around themselves, weaving in and out without harming their captive as a moss-ridden tree moulded into shape before Atobe's eyes.

A clap sounded.

The tree obediently shuddered to a halt and remained deadly still.

Atobe stared for the longest time, panting from the exertion; unaware that the roots trapping him had stopped moving too.

A figure melded into existence beside the tree with a rustle of clothes. A pair of glowing red dots glanced from the girl bound to the tree, then to Atobe. They regarded him contemplatively for a few moments of silence. The figure emerged from the shadows the tree cast and treaded over to him, the red cloak fluttering gracefully with each steps.

Atobe steeled himself, sensing something sinister hidden beneath the folds of the cloak.

_She _– based on the shape of the figure – knelt before him. A delicate sigh escaped through her parted blood red lips as she pulled off the hood, letting her black curtain of hair fall past her shoulders. An ornate mask fashioned with raven feathers concealed half of her face, giving her an air of mystery.

Atobe stared disbelievingly into her eyes; there was nothing mysterious about her at all. He recognised them at first glance – had seen them once. That was back when the Red Queen's ruby controlled Akemi.

But the dissimilarity became more apparent the longer he gazed into them.

They were cold, remorseless and calculating. Yet, there's something else deeply buried in the depths of the red pool.

The woman abruptly turned her head away, startling him from the trance-like state. She lifted her eyes to the sky, watching the clouds drift away from the rising full moon as though enraptured by it. In the weak moonlight, her ghostly pale skin appeared to be covered in a strange sheen.

He stared at her; nothing made sense whatsoever.

"Who are you?" Atobe finally whispered.

She tore her eyes away and looked at him. "Shouldn't it be obvious?" she replied back in an eerilyfamiliar voice that sent shivers down his spine.

"Stop playing around! What do you want from her!?" he barked hotly, resuming his fruitless thrashing.

She remained indifferent to the death threats spewing from his mouth. "You're very protective towards her aren't you?" she asked smoothly, cutting him short of cursing her. "I must thank you for taking good care of her – going so far as to rescue her from the hands of that despicable Viscount Takeda –" She broke off almost abruptly, whipping her head away. For a few moments, she seemed to be struggling with supressing the burning hatred she felt towards the Viscount.

The Magician wasn't kidding when he said she was furious. Atobe saw it in her eyes, as clear as day – anger, revulsion…madness.

She blinked once, inhaling deeply at the same moment her apathy returned just as quickly.

Puzzling; but he was more unnerved by the strange shift.

"But noble you may be – you're no different from that man, dearest King," she carried on calmly, regarding him coldly from behind the raven mask as though the brief episode didn't affect her. "She may have forgiven you, but I'm not that foolish to do that on a whim. You toyed with her feelings just to satisfy your curiosity. And above all, you used marriage as bribery. So what if you weren't serious about the offer?" Her eyes glinted with distaste when she narrowed them. "It doesn't change the fact you did it _deliberately _to gauge her person."

A hand, so icy cold and inhumane to touch, was delicately pressed against his – the very same hand that had been reaching out for Akemi.

Atobe jerked at the contact. But immobilised by the roots, he could do no more than slap the cold hand in vain as tendrils of black smoke swirled around their hands. Fed up with the game, she grabbed his hand and clung onto it, watching remorselessly as the smoke seeped underneath his vambrace and up his arm.

Soon, the smoke covered every inch of his body. Atobe shuddered convulsively, squirming even more violently at the waves of prickling sensation. His mouth flapped uselessly as though to speak, but his throat felt like it was set on fire, so that he was mouthing threats at her instead before his head vanished down the cuirass.

'_Don't you dare touch Akemi.' _

XXX

The roots crumpled into dust at a flick of her finger. Devoid of its master, the armours clattered onto the ground at her feet with a hallow sound that echoed in the air.

"Sweet dreams, dearest King," she whispered, withdrawing her hand.

Her ears twitched at the heavy footsteps approaching her. She stood up and turned around; not batting an eye when a dagger whistled past her ear, nicking the mask's ribbon secured around her head.

They surrounded her in a semi-circle. Some were staring speechlessly at the unconscious form of Akemi slumped against the tree's trunk like a ragdoll, others, at the heap of ivory armours behind her; pure horror written all over their faces.

"What did you do!?" the one named Hiyoshi demanded. He and an unusually agitated Kabaji would have charged at her if they weren't being held back. "Let go! You saw what that witch did to him!"

"That's why it's too dangerous to provoke her!" Ootori tried to reason, evading an elbow that nearly knocked his head.

"You're the Red Queen?" Yukimura queried calmly, seemingly unfazed. But the grip on his sword tightened and there was a dangerous glint in his narrowed eyes. Beside him, the Emperor was struggling against the combined effort of Yanagi, Kirihara, Marui and Jackal, and shouting profanities at her.

Unperturbed, she bowed her head in acknowledgement. The ribbon gave and slipped off from her head.

"That I am," she replied just as calmly as the raven mask fell onto the ground noiselessly. Her voice prompted a few sharp intakes of breath. She lifted her head up, and a deadly silence fell at the sight of her porcelain face. A crack ran down an eye, stopping short beside her nose bridge. The fracture on the porcelain surface wasn't large, but deep enough to reveal the hollowness beneath.

The corner of her lips briefly twitched; amused by the reaction the Queen had long expected. She glanced over to Sanada who wore the same expression as everyone else. She frowned as much as the porcelain allowed her to.

"What's wrong? Not even a hug for your dearest sister, _oni-chan_?" she snivelled; her lips puckered in a pout.

Sanada shook his head furiously in an attempt to clear his head. "You're _not _my sister!" he growled menacingly. They might look and sound alike, but Sanada refused to believe the Akemi standing before him was his sister.

The Queen's mouth flew opened with a silent gasp of horror, and for a moment, she looked as if she was about to burst into tears. Then, her blood rep lips parted with a sinister cackle. It abruptly died; her cold mask slipping back on. "My, what an awkward situation," she shook her head in false dismay.

"Just…what are you?" Kirihara asked raspingly; slightly out of breath from subduing the Emperor.

The Queen tilted her head at him, causing him to flinch sharply when their eyes met. A look of exasperation crossed her face. "I grow tired of this question day and night. But…" she trailed off dramatically, one hand moving to undo the knot holding her cloak together, "I suppose all of you deserve an explanation."

"And a good one we better get!" Mukahi shouted before he was silenced by a pointed look from Oshitari.

The Queen took a few steps towards the gathered men, remaining unperturbed at the swords poised threateningly at her as the cloak was shrugged off. With a soft rustle, the silk fabric plummeted to the ground.

Dangling from a gold chain worn around her neck was a teardrop-shaped ruby, about the size of her palm. There was a cloud of smoke as black as ink swirling sluggishly inside. The ruby itself was unsympathetically chipped in several places and gave off a red light that pulsed in the moonlight, unnerving even those who had seen the smaller fragments of the gemstone.

But the light was extremely weak, and looked very close to dying out.

A disembodied voice retaining a fraction of Akemi's spoke when the Red Queen moved her lips, causing the hair on the back of their necks to stand on end.

"I am an entity; born from the fear, envy, selfishness, hatred, despair, and self-loathing this foolish little girl over there have been experiencing since birth," she gestured at said comatose girl with a porcelain hand. "You can say I _am _her darkest memories – all gathered in this little gemstone," she gestured vaguely at the ruby. "Of course I have to cast away some that are no use to me," she sighed wearily, "It gets boring after a year – those memories of hers. And as you can see, this porcelain shell isn't durable. So…" she trailed off deliberately; her red eyes flicking to the tree.

"You want Akemi as your host," Yanagi finished; disconcerted. He felt Sanada stiffened in horror. "To feed on her new memories and gain a human body – two birds with one stone."

"Precisely."

"And what makes you think a human body isn't just as vulnerable as your current self?" Yukimura countered evenly; his expression grim.

"Well, I wouldn't know if I don't try right?" The Queen merely shrugged, treading towards the tree. She flicked her wrist lazily, throwing aside those foolish enough to stand in her way with a blow of her black smoke; only for more to replace them, brandishing their swords – to avenge the White King and to protect Akemi. They kept coming after her persistently no matter how many times she repelled them.

The old emotions stirred, and it drove her pace faster. She halted before the tree, glaring darkly at the comatose girl – so blissfully unaware of the battle raging around her.

'_Life would certainly be different had you met these idiots earlier – had you opened up your heart. Then, I certainly need not suffer from the memories your fickle mind feeds me.' _Black smoke coated her eyes as she raised a hand towards Akemi's chest.

'_But it's too late now. Your mind and soul belongs to me.'_

XXX

Brown eyes flew opened; lips parted with a sharp intake of breath.

Akemi glanced frantically about. Fear rose inside her erratically beating heart as she took in her surroundings.

The desks, hastily drawn pictures plastered on the walls, the blackboard – she remembered them all vividly. This was the classroom she was assigned to in primary school – back when she was seven.

Calming herself, she placed a hand over her thumping heart. She frowned; something apart from her surrounding didn't seem right. Her eyes widened in surprise at the uniform she donned. It looked exactly like the one she'd seen on the high school department's webpage ran by Rikkai Dai Fuzoku – her future school.

A sharp rap on the blackboard startled her from her reverie, nearly sending her toppling from the chair. All of a sudden, paper dolls filled the once empty seats around her. The ones beside her were laughing and pointing at her flustered face. The teacher called for silence, hitting the ruler on the board, but she was ignored and the laughs only intensified as more joined in.

Akemi slammed her hands over her ears, suppressing the memories from surfacing. She clenched her eyes shut, but she could still hear them in her head – the jeers, taunts and name-calling. Her gaze took on a wild look when her eyes snapped open.

"Shut up! Leave me alone!" she shrieked at the dolls. With a strangled cry, she leapt to her feet and ran towards the door at the opposite end of the classroom, ignoring the silent commands from a furious teacher and the eyes trailing her.

Outside, she slammed the door shut and leaned heavily against it, panting as though she ran a marathon. A shadow fell over her. She looked up and froze.

Standing before her was another teacher. It tapped its foot impatiently on the pristine floor, paper fists on the hips. Hushed whispers drifted from behind the teacher, prompting her to peer around the paper doll. Her eyes widened with recognition; this was her last classroom before she was home-schooled. The students were giving her strange looks; some shaking their heads; others looked upset by the disruption to class. The teacher leaned forward, one hand reaching out to her.

Akemi immediately bolted. She threw the same door from whence she came wide opened and stumbled through. It shut behind her on its own and morphed into a wall, stretching into a long corridor with doors and lockers on either side.

Heart beating rapidly against her ribcage, she whipped her head about, searching for an exit.

There! At the end of the corridor!

She put one tentative foot out after the other, and began the dreadfully long trek. Brown eyes darted about the deserted corridor apprehensively. Now, the silence was disconcerting.

One of the lockers beside her suddenly burst opened, spilling its contents out. Akemi jumped out of the way with a squeal before she could be buried under an avalanche of frog plush dolls. When the last fell out, she got a good look at them. Pink tongues stuck out from the mono lips sewn onto the lime green faces. Perhaps paranoia had finally gotten the better of her; the frogs looked like they were mocking her.

"That's it! I had enough of this!" she screeched, kicking one of the frogs lying at her feet with all the force she could muster. It hit the wall several feet behind her with a toyish squeak and bounced back on impact. It squeaked a couple of times as it ricocheted across the tiled floor before rolling to a stop on its front.

To her horror, the frog started to swell before her eyes as though air was pumped into it. The strings holding the seam running down its back snapped under pressure. Akemi threw her arms over her face just as pieces of paper burst through the seam, sputtering into the air like a fountain. After a brief moment of hesitation, she lowered her arms and mutely watched as the papers began to morph into the shape of a small boy.

A tiny part of her mind sensed a familiarity as it extended a hand.

But before Akemi allowed it a chance to figure out the mystery, she pivoted and ran towards the door as fast as her legs could carry her – for she had caught a glimpse of the other dolls on the floor swelling up. Soon, the corridor was filled with papers spewing out from the frogs. She threw one hand over her head, the other reaching for the doorknob.

"Come on!" she pleaded, wrestling with the stubborn doorknob. She glanced over her shoulder, paling at the sight of paper figurines slowly approaching her.

Akemi threw her weight on the door. It didn't work. She tried again. This time, the door relented and allowed her to crash onto the carpeted floor. She hastily shuffled deeper into the room, scrambled onto her feet and slammed the door shut before locking it. For good measure, she barricaded the door with a desk and placed a flower pot on top. Curtains were shut, casting the room in a dim light.

The door juddered on its hinges as if fists were raining upon it. Despite her tired legs were trembling badly, she slowly backed away from the door until her back hit a wall. Her knees eventually buckled and she collapsed into a heap at the floor.

Hugging her legs to her chest, she dropped her head onto her knees and eventually burst into tears. The whole ordeal had finally caught up with her.

Seconds turned to minutes, the pounding on the door stopped. Yet, she remained where she was.

It was all so familiar to her. Curling in a dark corner where nobody could find her…where she could hide her pain from everyone all day. This place – her old primary school's smaller library meant for younger students was one of them. The room was used during class times only, but the head librarian allowed her to use it whenever on the condition she left the place as it was when she entered.

Sniffling, she groggily lifted her head up. The stout bookshelf set against one wall never changed, but perhaps that's how she wanted to preserve it in her memory. It was filled to the brim with tales of magic, witches and warlocks, fairies and dragons, heroism, swordfight (kid-friendly of course), damsels in distress (gosh, it bored her), dashing princes and knights in shining armour riding upon generic grey horses (she wondered why nobody ever thought of branching out) to save their loved ones, and of happily ever afters.

Pah!

If only life was as simple as a hastily written conclusion.

Akemi snorted derisively, crossing her arms over her knees. She rested her chin on top, staring listlessly ahead as she blinked away the remaining tears.

But perhaps…folklores the books were based on had to be modified for children's eyes, and to incite a sweet giddy sensation in the reader's fluttering heart upon reaching the end of the book. What truly happened during the happily-ever-afters?

Suddenly, an unseen fist pounded on the door, sending her heart racing. But she felt not 'sweet giddy sensation'.

"Go away!" a worn-out Akemi croaked as loud as her dried throat allowed.

Silence returned to the library after a moment of hesitation.

A stab of fear tugged at her heartstring, but Akemi quickly shook it off. Snivelling, she shoved her head back into her arms.

She was used to coping alone. Yes, she could handle this just fine without anyone's help. It was how she wanted…had been doing since she could remember.

So that the only person worried about her was herself.

A small weight pressed against her lower leg. It was gentle and soft, but enough for Akemi to glance down out of curiosity. Her eyebrows sprang up, stunned to see two plush dolls below her. And they looked absolutely familiar, despite their faceless heads.

She rubbed her eyes furiously and blinked several times. Nope. Her parents were still standing there. But they were miniature versions, and hardly reached her knees.

Mrs Noda was rubbing her leg with a cone-shaped hand soothingly, her head titled to one side as though gazing worryingly at her.

Akemi quickly wiped away the tears and forced a weak smile on her lips; it was an instinctive response.

The rubbing faltered and her mother seemed slightly put out by it. Mr Noda rested a hand on his wife's shoulder, tilting his head towards her. Like a secret message was passed between them, Mrs Noda conceded reluctantly and stepped back.

Guilt and a little bit of fear clenched in Akemi's heart.

Her parents saw it clearly in her frown before it was smoothed out. Because no matter how much she hid and lied, they knew about her pain. Mrs Noda came forward and placed a hand on her leg, while Mr Noda patted his fingerless hand a couple of times.

This time, Akemi's smile was genuine. Something her parents wanted to see before stepping away, and allowed another couple of plush dolls forward. Her heart rose with joy at the sight of the elderly Mackenzies, standing hand-in-hand like her parents. The elderly couples had always treated her like their own granddaughter.

Three more plush dolls appeared. Her senpai, Linda, whom she met at the Karate Dojo; she was like a sister Akemi never had. Her sensei – still able to appear fearsome despite being faceless; he instilled confidence using his gruff old man way. Her tutor, who oversaw her education after Akemi dropped-out from secondary school to be home-schooled; she was always patient despite her student's reservation.

A petite doll, dressed in the same uniform as her, wearing a pair of glasses over where the eyes should be, delicately walked into her line of view. She waved at her.

Akemi cocked her head in puzzlement. She had never met anyone from Rikkai, much less stepped foot in the school, and yet, this doll looked very familiar…and had a name. Akemi found herself waving back to Hinata.

Flickers of movement out from the corner of her eyes caught her attention. Akemi shifted her gaze to the bookshelf and felt her eyes widened even more.

Eight dolls wearing an exceedingly bright yellow with black stripes tracksuits were carefully lowering a large paper castle from the top shelf, passing it between their cone-shaped hands. Again, her heart seemed to know who they are. Sanada was gesturing passionately at the rest of his exasperated team mates, while Yukimura seemed to chuckle in amusement and Yanagi writing in his notebook. Kirihara nearly lost his grips on the castle, but a quick save by Marui and Jackal prevented a severe punishment. Down below, Niou didn't seem all too bothered if they dropped the paper building onto the floor, but a pointed look from Yagyuu prompted him to tighten his grip on the castle as it was passed onto them.

On the carpeted floor, the eight carried the paper castle towards Akemi; the other dolls parting to make away. Hinata seemed to be getting increasingly flustered as they approached. A quick glance from the petite doll to the Trickster, and something inside her head clicked. The corner of her lips twitched; amusement playing in her eyes.

Carefully, the castle was set on its base before her. A slit ran down the middle of the front side of castle, parting like doors when Kirihara, Marui and Jackal pried the flaps open.

There was only one room, and in the centre was a pop-up bed upon which laid a plush doll, dressed in a miniature version of the school uniform she was wearing. The doll appeared to be in a deep sleep; chest heaving steadily with each breath and head slightly tilted to the side, displaying the dark curtain of hair that fell past her shoulders. Her hands folded neatly over her abdomen were clutching a book almost possessively.

Akemi leaned forward, eyes widening in astonishment as her mind came to one conclusion. The doll was none other than herself.

Beside her, the eight tennis regulars were gathered around in a tight circle, constantly stealing glances at the Akemi Doll as they discussed/argued inaudibly. Their body language, the human Akemi was well accustomed to, spoke of anxiety and hesitation. Seeing as nobody was going to step up, Yukimura eventually relented to his duty as captain and calmly headed up to the sleeping doll while the remaining tennis regulars watched on with bated breaths.

The Rikkai captain hadn't put one foot on the castle when a whirlwind of black, periwinkle and purple suddenly made an appearance beside the pop-up bed.

It was, unsurprisingly, another doll; a distinctive mole sewn on its faceless head. Wielding a tennis racquet in his hands, Atobe waved it passionately about to fend off the irksome Rikkai tennis regulars who dared to come between him and the sleeping doll.

It was only at Yukimura's order did they begrudgingly backed down.

Atobe puffed out his chest, pleased with the victory. Turning to the doll, he tucked a paper rose behind one of her ears and began to gesture flamboyantly as though re-enacting one of Shakespeare's productions, not stopping even when his bemused teammates arrived at the scene. Ending his speech with a flick of his dark purple hair, the Hyotei captain then bent down from his waist, casting a shadow over the sleeping form.

Rather suddenly, the awaken doll shot straight up and collided with Atobe's forehead, sending the hapless captain staggering off the castle. From the way they were pointing accusingly at each other, it must have had hurt a lot.

With a huff, the Akemi Doll leapt off the bed and stalked past the Hyotei captain, carrying the book in her arms.

Mukahi, Shishido and Oshitari immediately leapt into a mocking fest, sniggering and teasing an unamused Atobe while Ootori tried to calm them down, Hiyoshi rolled his eyes in exasperation and Kabaji remained seemingly unfazed.

The Akemi Doll's footsteps faltered a little at the sight, one hand reaching up to touch the paper rose. After a moment of deliberation, she started towards the Hyotei team with a brisk pace. She looped an arm around Atobe's and hastily dragged him away, stunning the Hyotei regulars including the captain, who quickly recomposed himself as they joined the rest of the dolls in the front gathered before the human Akemi. Freeing her arm, the doll held the tiny book up, silently urging her to take it.

Akemi hesitated at first, glancing at the other dolls. Seeing as none was about to give in, she gingerly took the tiny book from her miniature self and held it between her thumb and index finger.

Before she could get a good look, the book grew at an astonishing rate until it reached the standard size of A5. She brought the leather-bound book closer, tilting it at different angles as she examined it.

But it was the front cover that caused her heart to leap. She held her breath, her heart fluttering excitedly with anticipation as she brushed the battered cover tentatively, feeling the etching of the sunflower's petals poking at her hand.

Then, the unexpected happened again.

The leather unpeeled, revealing something green beneath as her hand moved down the surface.

A bittersweet smile crept onto her face. She caressed the pastel green cupboard cover and bright sunflower print in the middle, feeling a warm nostalgic settling in her heart.

This was her first and last diary.

'_And if my memory serves me well…' _

Grinning like a child on Christmas Day, Akemi fiddled with the book's lock – a dial similar to those found on old-fashioned safes – as the dolls curiously watched on. The clasp locking the diary's secret away from prying eyes loosened with a click.

Her eyes glazed over as she leafed through the diary, pausing a few times to read the entries. The bittersweet smile gradually made a reappearance as the memories resurfaced.

Times of sadness and joy, frustration and hope, self-pity and assurance…

Glimmers of her past written in black ink on these very pages – some which still haunted her.

She probably could never run away from them. But reading the last few entries, she realised that her past, no matter good or bad, was what made her stronger and more confident over the years – what made _her _the way she was today.

A long time ago, someone once told her there's nothing wrong with hoping, as long as she strived hard to make that wish come true. Then, her endeavour and hoping itself wouldn't be in vain.

And – as the names and faces popped up in her mind – she was never alone during the journey.

After what-felt-like eons had passed, Akemi tore her eyes from the diary to find the dolls were no longer standing there, leaving her sitting in the corner of the room by herself.

Strangely though, that warm and peaceful feeling remained inside her.

In the still air, the pages suddenly flipped on their own accord until the very last page in the diary was reached.

Akemi, who had pulled her hand away before she could get a nasty paper cut, squinted as words written in black ink began to appear as though there was an invincible hand.

_Don't forget.  
Always, somewhere,  
someone is fighting for you.  
As long as you remember them,  
you are not alone._

A blinding light suddenly flashed before her eyes, causing her to cry out in surprise and agony as she shielded them with her hands. The ground beneath her quaked, and for a dubious moment she felt as though she was being sucked into a vacuum cleaner.

It was very dark in here, but perhaps it's because her eyes were tightly shut.

There were whispers and murmurs around her. To her delight, she knew them.

Heart fluttering happily, she blindly waded through the darkness, using the voices to guide her through.

XXX

Her world was still spinning before her eyes when she groggily opened them.

Her hand fumbled uselessly for a moment before it met the rough bark. Using the tree for support, she slowly crawled onto her feet. She stumbled a bit, but a pair of hands suddenly appearing on her arms helped guided her to her feet.

"Are you alright?" Yukimura asked concernedly.

She leaned her back against the tree. "I-I think so," Akemi murmured, struggling to focus his face. "Thanks."

A smile crossed his features. "Don't mention it."

When her vision sharpened, Akemi found herself staring at broken fragments of porcelain and a messy pile of red dress spread over it. Yanagi, Marui and Jackal were gathered around this oddity, frowning and poking at the dress. Her eyebrows rose at the sight of a huge black stain on the front of the dress. She wrinkled her nose; the air reeked of ink.

"I missed something big didn't I?" she asked uneasily, now watching Sanada giving a familiar person, one whose silver hair was tied into a rattail, a severe dressing down while Kirihara standing beside the Emperor appeared sympathetic. "What happened?"

"The Red Queen appeared and tried to attack you," Yukimura started, glossing over several details to simplify the matter for her current state, "She was a powerful magician herself, a witch in fact, and we struggled to subdue her as you probably guess. But help came in an unexpected form. That man over there –" he nodded at the silver-head, who remained unperturbed by the harshness of the Emperor's words, "– he's the magician who used to serve under the Queen until he was fed up with her constant threats to harm someone important to him. His betrayal infuriated her, but it successfully distracted her from you." He paused, frowning at something incomprehensible. "She just suddenly shattered into million pieces of china before she could lay a hand on the Magician though." He shifted his gaze to her, frown smoothing away.

"Then, you woke up."

"I'm just as puzzled as you are, Yukimura-san," Akemi informed smoothly, answering his unspoken question.

"UWAAHH! SIRE!"

Akutagawa's rather loud sobbing attracted attentions from those nearby. His fellow guards all looking equally distraught were trying to calm him without success. Only Oshitari remained strangely pensive as the guard hugged the ivory cuirass to his face, muffling the cries and drenching the polished armour with his tears.

Fear and denial rose in Akemi's heart, recognising the armours lying beside the guard belonged to the White King. She staggered away from Yukimura. Then –

Something small and dark fell out from the bottom of the cuirass and onto the ground with a dull thud and a grunt.

Wait…_a grunt?_

The White King's Guards leaned closer, but quickly leapt back when the little creature groggily sat up.

It rested a tiny webbed forefoot on top of its head. "Urgh…ore-sama's head feels like it was kicked around," the frog said in Atobe's voice. _He _lifted his head, narrowing his eyes like Atobe would at the dumbstruck looks. "What have you guys been eating? Why's everyone so –" He broke off abruptly; the webbed feet had caught his eyes. He spun around and squinted at his reflection on the fallen shoulder guard. With a gasp of horror, he stumbled back on his elongated feet.

"Noooooo!" he screamed in denial, staring at the reflection of the frog which was emulating his movements with absolute precision. "O-o-ore-sama's –" He shook his head vigorously and wheeled around, a strange fire burning in his eyes as they easily pinpointed a certain girl. "_You _are not running away this time!"

And with that, he bounded towards a horror-stricken Akemi, who immediately backpedalled from the quickly advancing frog.

Sanada immediately blocked the route, waving his sword threateningly. But the amphibian merely leapt over his head and Kirihara's when the guard rushed forward at the same time. At the speed they were going, the two barrelled into each other.

A ghostly pale Akemi stumbled until her back collided with the conveniently-placed (not to her) tree. She caught a glimpse of a wicked grin on the frog's lips before it pounced.

Something disgustingly slimy pressed against her lips, soon followed by two tiny webbed feet on her cheeks. Her stomach lurched, but all thoughts of disposing lunch vanished with a poof when a sudden flash of light prompted her to snap her eyes shut, lest she wanted to be blinded.

In the dark, she could feel the transformation happening as the frog stubbornly clung onto her face. The tiny lips stretched against hers, while the growing digits over her cheeks spread until a pair of human hands was cupping them. Slowly, as if taking their sweet time, the hands worked their way from her cheeks; one to the back of her head and the other down to her waist. Her feet moved a couple of steps forward on the hand resting on her back's urging. Akemi found herself wrapped in a tight embrace, now slightly conscious of the warm body pressing against hers, as the human lips moved hungrily over hers.

Akemi clung onto the jacket like a lifeline, afraid that her weak legs might give if she wasn't holding onto something. Her heart was beating with a turbulent sensation she'd never felt before. It was like someone had set fireworks inside the organ. But that didn't make any sense. Well, it's not like her current mind's able to form any thoughts, much less string them together into something logical and comprehensible.

From somewhere in another universe, the tiny voice of Yanagi spoke, "Are you sure you're just going to stand there and watch him eat Akemi?"

There was a long pause of silence. Then –

The warmth enfolding her suddenly vanished. She slid down the tree on her back and sat slumped against it. Akemi groggily opened her eyes as her senses slowly returned, feeling as dizzy as ever.

She heard the distinctive sound of Sanada swearing colourfully, and Atobe, now reverted to human, laughing hysterically on top of his voice like he had won the lottery.

Someone was shaking her shoulders.

"Akemi-sama!" the anxious voice of Kirihara shouted. "Are you alright?"

She blinked blearily at him, her mind refusing to work.

The trembling intensified. Her eyelids were getting extremely heavy.

"Akemi-sama!"

The muffled sound of Atobe's laughter echoed in the darkness.

"Akemi-sama!"

"Akemi-sama!"

"Akemi-senpai!"

"_Senpai!" _

XXX

**_Epilogue_**

The tremors jostled her awake with a start.

Pain shot through her forehead when something solid sharply collided against it.

"Oww," Akemi groaned, pressing a hand against the sore spot where a bruise was slowly forming. "That really hurt!"

"I-I'll say," a voice agreed.

The sight of Kirihara holding his forehead greeted her when she snapped her eyes open. A thin line of blood was trickling from underneath his hands.

"Kirihara-kun! I-I'm so sorry!" she fretted, easing her back off the bench she had been napping on. She glanced about, her brain registering the tennis courts and the dusky sky. _'I'm at Rikkai…'_

"I'm fine. Really, senpai," he waved it away, chuckling sheepishly, "Used to it." _'Why did I offer to wake senpai up?'_

But Akemi was far from being assured. She hastily pushed her back further, but paused when something slipped off her and fell onto her lap. She lowered her eyes to find a jersey, but it wasn't the same as the one the Junior Ace was wearing.

It was Hyotei's.

"Akemi!"

Heart leaping to her throat, she whipped her head around to the general direction of the voice and blanched.

There, heading towards her with a racquet in one hand was Atobe Keigo.

He raised an eyebrow, sighing in exasperation as he regarded her dishevelled state. "You're finally awake? You'd missed a great match, Akemi." He smirked, stretching out a hand. "Come on. You promised to take ore-sama to the commoner's supermarket today."

But Akemi's eyes were on his face. The last fragment of the dream was still vivid in her mind.

Squealing, she leapt onto her feet, grabbed her bag from the foot of the bench and made herself scarce, zipping past a group of flabbergasted tennis regulars who just left the clubroom to investigate the commotion.

The racquet slipped from Atobe's grasp and onto the ground with a clatter.

The bewildered Hyotei captain blinked.

"Wh-what just happened?"

* * *

**The Red Queen can be interpreted as Akemi's inner-demon; the dissatisfaction and regret at not being able to change some things in her past, most notably her unwillingness to open her heart. Akemi has been doing so, slowly, which frustrates the inner-demon who urges for faster results. She accepting her past, no matter good or bad, is a form of closure, which is signified by the 'death' of the Red Queen. **

**The quote that mysteriously appeared in the diary comes from the last episode's ending sequence of Puella Magi Madoka Magica. **

**XXX**

**Yup, Akemi's been dreaming everything from chapter one up until the end. Writing Looking Glass had been both enjoyable and frustrating at the same time, but I have always wanted to write fantasy, so this was one great opportunity to test myself too. But also to reveal Akemi's past from her point of view. I hope sticking the epilogue into this chapter isn't weird.  
**

******I will resume updating 'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life', possibly next week at best. We'll find out how things are going to be for Akemi who definitely cannot see Atobe the same way as before due to that kissing scene in her dream ;) **

******Thank you very much for reading Looking Glass! Hope to see you all back at 'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life'! **


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